


The Best Laid Plans Of Raptors and Men

by EliseCollier



Category: Jurassic Park (1993), Jurassic Park (Movies), Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Animal Death, Drama, Ethology, Existentialism, F/M, Imprinting, Moral Dilemmas, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Raptors, marketing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-02-26 03:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13227528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliseCollier/pseuds/EliseCollier
Summary: A two-year "countdown" to the events ofJurassic World, detailing how InGen brought velociraptors back to Isla Nublar, the collateral damage that accompanied the animals, and the people whose lives were forever changed. Sex, death, and existential crises from the perspectives of Claire and Owen with many of the colorful characters of theJurassic Parkuniverse revisited and explored.





	1. The Brute Squad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by the line in _Jurassic World_ delivered by Vic Hoskins about his "working for two years on an application for those raptors." I cover that two years fully and end with an epilogue that takes place during the events of the movie. The "big three" from the original _Jurassic Park_ each appear in some form. I originally posted this on FanFiction in mid-2017, so I will post it here relatively quickly. I hope you enjoy it.

Claire Dearing had been getting settled into her Senior Assets Manager promotion for exactly one week when Dr. Henry Wu summoned her to the lab. Henry had always appeared eerily relaxed despite the complex science and God-like powers he'd wielded for nearly twenty years. He was known widely as the island's "oldest surviving inhabitant." Claire would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that he intimidated her. Henry carried the wisdom and threat of past missteps and poor judgment. He was also endlessly arrogant and an incorrigible gossip. Claire smoothed her hair and adjusted her blouse before breezing through his door. Henry stood as she entered then motioned for her to sit opposite him. Once seated, he tapped a button on the desk causing his door to slide shut.

"Thank you for coming," Henry began, "I wanted you to hear the news from me before the brute squad arrived." Claire looked at him with confusion but was careful not to betray her sense of control and confidence. He sharpened his gaze at her and crossed his arms saying, "InGen is going to breed a pack of raptors." Henry paused to let his statement sink in while Claire allowed several different emotions to flash across her face as she considered her response. Henry jumped back in before she had a chance, "I know. John Hammond made a promise to Alan Grant not to breed raptors again, but science can't be held back by an aging, irrelevant...dinosaur of our field." He chuckled to himself, enjoying his own joke a little too much. Claire was annoyed.

One of the most frustrating aspects of being Senior Assets Manager, possibly why her predecessor left and why Simon Masrani promoted her from marketing director without a formal search, was the gray boundary between park operations and InGen. InGen had its headquarters in San Diego and ran the lab as well as island security. Everyone else working on the island, including herself, was a Jurassic World employee. They all worked under the umbrella of Masrani Global, but Simon Masrani was never remotely as hands-on with InGen as John Hammond had been. Claire had no authority over anyone working for InGen, but coordination with InGen was essential to smooth park operations. Now, there was going to be a new InGen headache for her to deal with. It was hard enough getting ACU to listen to her.

"What do you mean by 'brute squad'?" Claire asked with irritation.

"Vic Hoskins hired a team of ex-military to study raptor intelligence," Henry replied.

Claire knew Vic Hoskins by reputation only and had yet to meet him. He was the pompous, intrusive head of InGen's security division. She wracked her brain over why he would be interested in raptor intelligence. Her mind was going in a thousand different directions, and Claire knew she'd need at least the rest of the day - maybe several days - to fully process how this kind of research project could impact the park. Henry was practically reading her mind mentioning Alan Grant. He studied her carefully and let her know, "The raptors won't be Jurassic World assets. They will belong to InGen and won't be for public display. No attraction."

"Then why will they be here?" She asked pointedly. "This is a PR nightmare. Raptors killed men here before Alan Grant even set foot on this island."

Henry laughed out loud, "What are you suggesting? Raptors in San Diego, perhaps?" Claire practically snarled at him. He continued sternly, "You and I both know this is the safest place for the raptors. It's been decided. Paddock construction will begin soon. InGen PR will handle it. Billy Brennan is one of the consultants." Claire rolled her eyes at the name of once Alan Grant protégé who now worked extensively with InGen and had written a bestseller about his experience on Isla Sorna. "Try not to worry about this...too much," Henry said with condescension, "ACU will have its own staff for the raptors. They won't draw from your resources. Hoskins and his team will brief you on whatever details they think you'll need to know. They arrive tomorrow. I imagine Hoskins will schedule a meeting with you at some point." Claire sighed and thanked him for the head's up. As Henry walked her out, he told her, "One more thing. The lead researcher was recruited from the Navy Marine Mammal Program."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" she asked impatiently.

"Look it up. It might give you a hint about the nature of their research."

Claire walked straight to her office to start reading up on Billy Brennan and the Navy Marine Mammal Program, or NMMP. She was determined to be as ready as possible for this brute squad. NMMP trained dolphins and sea lions for military operations. It used to be a classified program, but a lot of information about it was now freely available. Claire shuddered at the thought of dinosaurs for military operations. She downloaded Billy Brennan's book to her Kindle for some bedtime reading and headed back to her apartment.

Claire and Henry resided in penthouse apartments in the resort complex. When she moved in, Henry had teased her about the previous Senior Assets Manager keeping such long hours that he was never seen at the building. True to her own and her predecessor's form, Claire frequently woke at dawn and returned home well after sunset. She read as much of Billy's book as she could before her eyelids wouldn't stay open any longer. Claire was too tired to fret over the uncertainty of this new situation with InGen on top of her all-consuming new job. As she drifted off, she wondered if she just should've stayed in marketing.

* * *

Around 1pm the next day, Zara called Claire, "Billy Brennan on line three for you. Were you expecting his call? There's nothing on your schedule with InGen this afternoon." Claire groaned, "Henry warned me. I'll swap lines. Thanks." She steeled herself for the conversation, wordlessly thankful that Billy called her rather than walking into her office unannounced.

"This is Claire Dearing, Senior Assets Manager."

"Oh," Billy answered with surprise in his voice, "I didn't realize Enrique was replaced."

"Not replaced," Claire sneered, "He resigned. How can I help you Mr. Brennan?"

"Please, call me Billy. InGen is starting a new project with raptors." Billy paused, expecting to catch her off guard.

"Yes," she said confidently, "Not for public display."

Billy laughed on the other end, "Henry, right? Unless he's specifically told something is classified, he loves being able to spread information. Who else knows?"

"He said InGen PR was handling the situation, and I am capable of keeping secrets."

"Good. We've landed on the beach on the northeast shore. We're setting up temporary accommodations for most of our staff here, near the construction materials. Myself, Vic Hoskins, and the lead researcher will be staying at the resort. We'd like to meet you for dinner at the private dining room in Winston’s tonight at 8."

Claire rolled her eyes at this plan. She bristled at the idea of these men trying to put her in her place. At the same time, Claire reminded herself that she had no authority over them, and they were potentially giving her a courtesy beyond what was absolutely required. She took a deep breath and said, "I'll bring a member of my team."

"No," Billy fired back quickly. "This is a need to know only meeting. You're the only person invited."

"Then we're holding it in my conference room," she answered firmly, "Not in a public place." Claire grimaced and wondered if she stepped too far. After all, they could cancel entirely, and then she'd be in the dark.

"You drive a hard bargain," Billy relented, "Fine, we'll be there. Looking forward to meeting you, Claire." He hung up, and she breathed out. Claire asked Zara to add the meeting to the conference room schedule and did everything that she could to distract herself with her actual responsibilities for the next 7 hours.

Claire sat down in the conference room at 7:50pm. She was still reading Billy's book when the three men appeared in the doorway at precisely 8. Claire stood to greet them, all much more casually dressed than her in addition to smelling like a locker room and slightly sunburned. Billy was exactly as she imagined him: smarmy with a shit-eating grin. Vic Hoskins was overly-familiar, pot-bellied, and seemed to be undressing her with his eyes. The third man, who introduced himself as Owen Grady, almost took her breath away at first glance. He seemed to have stepped out of the cover of a romance novel: tall, dark, handsome, and with the sexiest depth of stubble she'd ever seen in person. Claire practically giggled when Owen shook her hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Ma'am."

"Please, call me Claire," she said warmly, working very hard to keep her smile small. She couldn't believe the involuntary response she was having to this man. Claire decided to mentally file it away as being hard up. She was, however, pleased to add someone new to her spank bank.

Billy launched into the raptor paddock plans. He stuck largely to facts, focusing on maps and timelines. Billy assured Claire that InGen staff would field any press questions about the raptors. He said he would email her the point of contact at InGen PR to whom all inquiries should be referred. Billy was going to appear live, via satellite, from the northeast beach tomorrow to join a San Diego-based press conference about breeding raptors again. He arrogantly smirked that a news outlet had already locked up an exclusive interview with Dr. Alan Grant that would air immediately following the press conference. Hoskins laughed at the mention of Dr. Grant before taking his turn to brief Claire about the separate ACU and other InGen staff who would support the raptor project's operations.

While Billy and Hoskins spoke, Claire snuck glances at Owen, who seemed bored but was otherwise difficult to read. Hoskins turned the floor over to Owen, who cleared his throat and blandly delivered what seemed to Claire just a prepared statement about the aims of the newly formed Research Division: gaining a deeper understanding of the intellectual and physical capabilities of velociraptors. Billy interrupted him to add, "Beyond 'lethal at eight months,'" the famous quote in Alan Grant's book about the original Jurassic Park. Owen glared at Billy and looked like he could punch him in the face. Claire smiled on the inside and started to feel a little warm. Owen softened when he turned back toward Claire, "My team will be safe. We won't cause the park any trouble. I've worked with animals for years." His expression and the way he chose to emphasize the word "animals," let Claire know that he was not just referring to dolphins and sea lions. Owen and Claire exchanged knowing smiles, and he looked down from her. Hoskins looked smug. Billy added that the raptors, even if not for public display, would provide a bump to public interest in the park that should offset any hysteria about the island being unsafe for tourists. Billy asked if Claire had any questions.

"None that you would probably answer honestly," she said with raised eyebrows. Owen smirked, and Billy rolled his eyes.

Vic Hoskins tired of the conversation and asked, "Where's the closest bathroom?" Claire glared at him and maintained eye contact while pushing backward in her rolling chair until she stopped at the wall. She pressed her palm against a concealed door, causing it to pop open. "Close but not entirely private, if you're not too shy," Claire said dryly. Owen smirked again. Hoskins stood up and walked into the small room. After they heard the door lock behind him, Owen asked Claire to explain it. "It's a preparation space - glorified closet - for presenters," she said with a smile, "We keep some infrequently used AV equipment in there, but it does have a convenient restroom in a pinch." Owen looked like he was considering something then shook it off.

Billy looked at his watch, stood, and turned to Claire, "You're still welcome to join us for dinner." She thanked him for his offer but said she already ate. Owen stood and shook her hand again, "Nice meeting you." Claire's breathing hitched, and her heart skipped a beat. He blinked several times while looking at her, and she wondered if she had the same effect on him. The handshake seemed to last longer than any handshake in the history of the world. Hoskins emerged from the presenters' closet and gruffly announced, "I'm starved. Are we done?" Owen rolled his eyes and seemed to abruptly pull away his hand. Claire felt literally and figuratively tugged. She looked down and collected her tablet. As the three men walked out of the room, Billy looked back at Claire, "Contact me with any concerns." Owen stole a quick glance back at her before she was out of his view.

As she laid in bed that night, Claire decided that she could trust Owen Grady. She didn't necessarily trust Hoskins or Billy, but neither of them would be on the island for very long. Owen Grady would be a permanent staff member on the island. It made her feel warm again thinking about seeing him around. She drifted to sleep thinking about where Owen would decide to live.

Several floors below her, Owen Grady sat on his suite's balcony looking out over the island's lagoon. He couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Claire Dearing. Owen left the Navy and came to Isla Nublar to do something unique, dangerous, and isolating. He had considered the remote possibility of meeting a woman who might pull him out of his solitary life but never imagined it would happen on day one. Owen had been quiet when the dinner conversation turned to Claire. Hoskins objectified her in an explicit way while Billy dismissed her as a frigid workaholic. Owen was silently disgusted with them, both in general terms given her position of authority in the park and on a personal level after feeling drawn to her. Sitting on his balcony, his mind drifted to reasons he could devise to see her again. His conversations with Hoskins, Billy and others made it clear that InGen was separate from the rest of the park with limited overlap. His Research Division would be even more separated. As he retired to the interior of his suite, Owen recalled the impure thoughts he had in the conference room about a rendezvous with Claire in that presenters' closet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please leave me some feedback and stick out this journey to the end.


	2. Forbidden Fruit

Billy's press conference was scheduled for noon local time on Isla Nublar. Claire's first order of business that morning was speaking to Jurassic World PR about the potential firestorm to come. Billy made good on his promise to email the InGen PR contact, and the two departments spent most of the morning in a conference call. Claire also went to see the new marketing director to discuss the challenges she foresaw. Everyone she told looked back at her with panic in their eyes. Simon Masrani was literally on the other side of the globe, and Claire had a low moment of cursing his name and wondering if she could really do this job now. She was convinced that this was why Enrique left and her promotion was pushed through, under-the-table, in less than 30 days. Claire had been so thrilled by Masrani's ego-stroking offer, making her feel special and important, that she didn't ask "why." PR and risk management contacted her for an emergency meeting at 11:35am.

Sitting in the same conference room where she met with the three men the night before, Claire put on her best possible stone face. The others were not doing so well, but she was their leader, the face of park operations, and had to look calm, cool and collected. Claire was also beginning to realize that her marketing background for the past several years, living and breathing Jurassic World day and night to an obsessive degree, made her uniquely qualified to understand and handle this situation. She relaxed even as the others appeared to get more spun up. Her brave face faltered, however, when Harry, the director of risk management, declared, "You can't have any interactions with Research Division staff."

"What?" exclaimed Claire. The intensity of her response startled the others. They had discussed the idea in depth and had all concurred it was the best course of action. They looked at her quizzically. Claire bit her lip and grounded herself before clarifying, "I mean, we need the public to trust us. Trust that the park will keep them safe. People need to know that the park and InGen are working together."

"Eventually," Harry replied, "But not now. We have to emphasize to the public the separation between InGen and Jurassic World. It's why InGen PR is taking the lead here. They've known about this for a while. They are ready. We have to focus on not losing revenue right now. The public doesn't really understand the difference between Jurassic World and InGen. They don't grasp our separate-togetherness. Billy will make clear the separation. The media will come to us - and you, specifically - right after he stops talking today. Our response is that we trust InGen to manage their independent project. Let them do the damage control for now. Let Billy Brennan go toe-to-toe with Alan Grant." Claire took a deep breath before Miranda, the head of PR, added, "You met them last night, for the first and only time, correct?" Claire suddenly felt like she was being interrogated and nodded silently. Miranda breathed a sigh of relief, "Good. Let's keep it that way until this thing blows over. As far as we're concerned, Owen Grady is a scientist leasing space within our perimeter fence to conduct research." Claire stilled at the mention of his name. He was even more enticing now that he was forbidden fruit. She knew that their plan was logical. As Claire left the conference room, the same question repeated in her mind and carried levels of meaning: when will this blow over?

Claire made a beeline to the control room and tuned one of the screens to the press conference. The room fell silent when the InGen executive in San Diego said, "And now, live via satellite from Isla Nublar, Billy Brennan." Lowery Cruthers was puzzled, turned to Claire, and asked, "You weren't invited?"

"Just watch," she said simply.

Billy handled himself marvelously. He'd honed his media skills after more than a decade in the public eye. InGen knew he was special and could be "turned" from the Alan Grant path after he nearly got himself killed over stolen raptor eggs. InGen got to Billy while he was still recovering in the hospital, and he'd been a stateside spokesperson for them ever since. Billy effortlessly used the royal we and emphasized "our care and respect for nature." As Claire watched him, listened to him deliver his talking points with finesse, even she had to admit to feeling reassured that InGen was trustworthy. Billy was the perfect face for the project's announcement. Like Henry, he well-utilized the wisdom gleaned from past missteps.

Eventually, Billy turned to singing the praises of the project's lead scientist. He spoke of Owen Grady as a decorated Naval veteran who spent the last five years of his military career studying and training marine mammals. Owen himself was not present, and Billy made a point of telling the press that Owen needed to focus his energies on studying Robert Muldoon's journals and meeting with the current experts on velociraptors. Billy then proclaimed that Owen himself would be the world's foremost expert on velociraptors in a very short time. He said that it would be Owen's decision when to take the embryos out of cold storage. Until then, the paddock would be designed and built and all precautions would be taken to ensure the safety of Research Division staff, all inhabitants and visitors to the island, and the raptors themselves.

The press conference then moved to a brief Q&A. Claire felt her heart in her throat when the first question was about her. A nationally known investigative journalist asked Billy how "newly appointed" Senior Assets Manager Claire Dearing was prepared to handle the new dinosaurs. Billy was ready for this question. He informed the media that, while he and other project representatives had met with Ms. Dearing in advance of today's announcement, she and her Jurassic World staff would have no involvement with the raptors. Billy told them that he had the utmost confidence in Claire's leadership of the park just as she fully trusted InGen to manage its newest assets.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief but knew that she would be a target of further questions. She reluctantly accepted the plan of having no involvement with Research Division staff but wondered if Owen had any idea of the media frenzy that awaited him. Claire questioned at first why Billy wasn't leading the research project himself, but it was clear to her now. Aside from Billy's hotshot lifestyle stateside, he did not want the scrutiny this job would bring. Being isolated on the island and within the perimeter fence would protect Owen to an extent, but his character and integrity were about to be called into question worldwide. Claire hoped he didn't have any skeletons or old girlfriends in his closet.

Shortly after Billy stepped away from the satellite feed, the news channel cut to its New York studio with its top anchor sitting across from Alan Grant. Most of the control room staff gasped at his bitter-appearing and aged face. Time, stress, and financial troubles had not been kind to Dr. Grant. He had retired from field work a few years ago and lived alone in a remote area of Montana. Most of those involved in the incidents on Isla Nublar and Sorna had either moved on with their lives, started working for InGen or committed suicide. It was obvious that Dr. Grant did not fit into any of those categories. He occasionally guest lectured or gave talks on college campuses, but these appearances had significantly diminished in frequency since Jurassic World had proven itself to be a safe and successful enterprise. Dr. Grant delivered his speech to the anchor as if he'd been practicing it for a decade. In many ways, it was similar to a talk of his that Claire had attended during her undergraduate years. When the anchor started asking specific questions, Dr. Grant appeared weary and less interested. He chose his words carefully about Billy.

Dr. Grant had previously been dismissed as emotionally unstable and smarting from Billy's betrayal when he verbally attacked him on national news during Billy's book tour. The anchor asked if Dr. Grant knew anything about Owen Grady, and he said that he'd never heard of him. Claire suspected Grant was being cautious because Billy's earlier statement was accurate. It would take Owen Grady less than a year to learn more about velociraptors than Alan Grant had learned in his entire professional career. Claire wondered if Alan Grant was jealous. If he were a younger man, might he have applied for Owen's job? As if reading her mind, Lowery blurted out, to no one in particular, "I bet InGen wouldn't interview him for the position." Before concluding the interview, the anchor asked Dr. Grant if he had anything to add. Grant looked directly at the camera and said, "The eyes of the world are on you, Claire Dearing."

Claire had to grip the side of Lowery's workstation for support. She whispered, "What the fuck?" so softly that only Lowery could hear. He looked at her sympathetically. Claire's cell phone rang. It was Miranda from PR. She immediately launched into the volume of press requests to speak with her and assured Claire that she was not expected to comment. Moreover, PR did not want her to comment. Simon Masrani was en route to New York to give an interview, speak her praises, and show support for his companies and employees in general. Miranda asked Claire if she'd ever met Alan Grant. Claire told her about attending one of his talks at Dartmouth but assured her that they had never met. Miranda wanted to know if there were any photographs of them together at Dartmouth. Claire didn't think so but began scanning her memory for any group shots or college paper stories about his talk. No, she ultimately decided, there should not be any mention of her in connection to that talk. Miranda hung up to go deal with her busiest day ever. Claire excused herself from the control room to busy herself in her office and distract herself with park business.

* * *

Barry ran over to Owen's tent on the beach as soon as Alan Grant's interview ended. Owen had no interest in watching Billy schmooze the press and deliver all the lines he'd already rehearsed in front of him on the private jet that brought them all to Costa Rica. Owen was mildly curious about what Alan Grant had to say, but he ultimately didn't care and didn't want it to adversely affect him. As Billy told the media, Owen was in the midst of reviewing Robert Muldoon's original journals. The journals had been classified and private property of InGen, never converted to any type of digital media. Owen felt like a kid at Christmas being able to pour over them privately and had asked that no one disturb him until he decided to come out of his tent. After all, he was in charge of the project. He would make the final decision about when the embryos would be thawed.

Barry busted into the tent with a huge grin on his face, "You won't believe how Alan Grant ended the interview." Owen glared at him and silently expressed his irritation at being disturbed. He was already not thrilled at Barry for teasing him earlier that day about Claire Dearing. Barry knew him well, probably better than anyone living, and had appreciated something new to Owen's demeanor when he asked him about the meeting with the Senior Assets Manager. Barry didn't need to tease Owen very long to confirm his suspicions. He was practically jumping out of his skin to get Owen's reaction to Grant's closing statement. Owen shouted at Barry, "What is so goddamn amusing?" When Barry told him, Owen looked down and breathed out. He felt guilty and regretful even though he didn't objectively need to. Still looking down, Owen said, "That's unfortunate."

Barry smirked, "You should call her."

Owen looked up and raised an eyebrow, "No contact order, remember?"

"That's unfortunate," Barry said with a cocky smile as he walked out of the tent and returned to the others watching the news.

Owen was distracted from his journal reviewing and allowed his mind to drift back to Claire. One of his keys to success at NMMP and in getting his current position was his blemish-free record. The FBI and CIA both tried to recruit him when he submitted his paperwork to separate from the Navy. InGen was up-front with their expectation of his background being widely investigated as soon as they went public with the project. Owen didn't worry for a second. He wasn't escaping anything or anyone by coming to Isla Nublar. Owen wondered if Claire was similar in that way and if that was a key to her success or the reason for her recent selection as Senior Assets Manager. It was nice to believe that they might have something in common, something to justify his attraction to her. Now, he might never have a chance to explore the possibilities. After being told this morning that he couldn't interact with park operations staff - at least until after the raptor pack hatched - Owen re-dedicated himself to fully devoting his time to the raptors. He suspected, however, that Claire might invade his mind in idle times or lonely nights.

* * *

For the next week, the news teemed with stories about Claire and Owen. It was mostly unexciting and nothing even remotely salacious came to light. One of the more exciting aspects was trying to figure out why Alan Grant chose to call her out. Jurassic World PR released the fact of her attendance at his talk at Dartmouth, but that story was a dead end. Grant refused to do any more interviews. Claire came to the conclusion that it was not a personal attack. She was simply a target he could hit. This was Grant's ploy to break down that barrier between Jurassic World and InGen that Billy had emphasized. Grant was angry with both organizations and probably wished them all to burn. It was clear, however, that Claire Dearing didn't burn the reputation of Jurassic World, and Owen Grady didn't burn the reputation of InGen. If anything, both of them made their organizations look better for their hiring. Claire's Ivy League credentials, two years with one of Masrani's smaller companies in New York, and three years on Isla Nublar made her knowledgeable and invested in Jurassic World's success.

Owen was everything Billy painted him to be in the press conference. Photographs and stories cemented Owen Grady as a brave and trustworthy person. Neither Claire nor Owen did any interviews themselves. Billy endlessly repeated the company lines. Simon Masrani downplayed the drama and supported them all in a very general sense. One particular new magazine decided to compare and analyze Claire and Owen, characterizing them as "wholesome, driven loners." A panelist on the show called them "blank slates on which each of their companies can write their own version of the truth." That was the only part of the coverage that made Claire cringe. She was otherwise pleased to have come out well herself and enjoyed looking at photos of Owen in uniform or in the water. Zara had remarked it was a shame that the two of them couldn't commiserate. Claire put on her stone face, not sure if Zara picked up on anything.

Life went on, largely as usual, at the park. Billy had predicted correctly about the bump in public interest. Jurassic World had a sudden flood of bookings from people who wanted to get on the island before the raptors returned. Social media was buzzing about whether it was really true that the raptors would not be for public display. It turned out, quite a few people wanted to see raptors in the flesh. Owen was only peripherally aware of the hubbub. He intentionally stayed away from the news and asked his staff not to discuss it in his presence. Owen was anxious to get the animals hatched, but he wanted to feel ready, for his own sake as much as everyone else's. After two weeks staying at the resort, he moved into a trailer at the site where the paddock was being constructed. Owen worked 18 hour days and loved every minute.

* * *

Three months after the press conference, the inquiries directed toward Jurassic World about the raptors virtually halted. There was also no update from InGen about the raptor embryos. Lowery opined to Claire one day in the control room that, "Maybe he'll decide against it." Claire knew that wouldn't be true. She was finally settling into the role of Senior Assets Manager and feeling comfortable with the title and all it entailed. Out of fear of prying eyes and reporters, Claire hadn't left the island since getting promoted. She was itching to go shopping on the mainland again. Zara invited her to come along one weekend, but she declined.

Owen regularly spoke with Henry about the embryos. Henry teased that he didn't write the book _What to Expect When You're Expecting Raptors_. He could tell that Owen was getting close to pulling the trigger on them. His suspicions were confirmed on the random Wednesday that Owen appeared in the lab unannounced. Henry smiled at him in an almost dastardly way, "It's that time, is it?" Owen rolled his eyes and nodded before taking an accusatory tone, "No leaks. In case something goes wrong, we're not announcing anything until they've hatched. It will be too difficult to hide after that. Until then, however, they'll just be another six eggs in an incubator. Got it?"

Henry snorted, "Most mothers just keep it under wraps during the first trimester."

"Fuck you, Henry. Have your staff signed the NDAs?" Henry nodded with a grin before Owen asked pointedly, "Have you?"

"Not yet."

"Good."

Henry looked at him with surprise then raised one eyebrow and crossed his arms, "Am I to be your messenger?"

Owen took a deep breath, "I want you to give Claire Dearing a head's up, just like you did before."

Henry smiled like the cat that ate the canary and said, "No problem. Good idea, to let her know that she has a window of time to visit her favorite boutique on the mainland."

Owen was momentarily flummoxed and stammered, "What? No. I just meant...she was drug through the mud last time. Things have calmed down, but...when they hatch, it'll start up all over again...maybe worse."

"I knew what you meant," Henry smirked and added mockingly, "This contact prohibition is tough."

Owen stared him down with irritation until Henry softly chucked. Henry shrugged his shoulders to say, "She's a clothes horse, but the poor girl has been too afraid of being recognized to go to the mainland since the news broke. I know it's what she'll do as soon as I tell her." He smiled mischievously when he added, "When do you want me to tell her?"

"Right before you sign that NDA," Owen scoffed.

"I'll get it to you Friday afternoon."

Owen practically stormed out of the lab.

* * *

Claire was sitting at her desk wrapping up the week's business when she received a text from Henry. He said he was stopping by her office with a weekend message. She rolled her eyes and wondered if he would try to bait her into giving away some tidbit about someone or something. Henry once told her that Enrique "always had the best dirt." He appeared five minutes later, carrying a single sheet of paper, and shut her door behind him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Claire.

Henry smiled while running his fingers around the edges of the paper, "It's safe to go shopping...for a bit." She raised her eyebrows at him, "Huh?"

"Come on, Claire, I haven't seen you in a new outfit in months. Go to that boutique you like so much. You've been incubating too long on the island. Time to break out."

"What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

"I was aiming to be discreet. If you really just want me to-"

"Stop." Claire raised her palm toward him as her eyes widened in realization. "Got it. In your...professional opinion, how much time do I have?"

"Three months."

"I appreciate your stopping by." Henry looked at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes and added, "Oh, fine...tell your female staff to be careful with the newest predator on the island, a surgeon named Dr. Staley."

Henry smiled, "You remind me more of Enrique with each passing day. In all honesty, Claire, you're doing a great job. Have fun this weekend." Henry started for the door and then turned on his heel, "Oh, wait, almost forgot. Can I use a pen?" Claire passed him a pen, and he signed the bottom of the paper he was carrying. He passed the pen back to her, nodded appreciatively, and walked out with his paper. Claire leaned back in her chair to plan for the weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think so far.


	3. Excursion in Port

Fewer employee ferries ran between Isla Nublar and the mainland on weekends, so Claire plotted out her day practically down to the minute. She decided to go alone and incognito so that she had total control of the itinerary. Prior to leaving her apartment, Claire wondered if she was being paranoid or would simply stick out more by tucking all her hair under her baseball cap. She was still wary of being recognized on the mainland and didn't want her day for escape to be disrupted. Claire boarded the first ferry in the morning. En route, she knew that this early employee ferry would pass the first visitor ferry headed to the park. The first visitor ferry was always the busiest on Saturdays. The mainland town that had grown out around the Jurassic World dock would be virtually deserted for the majority of the day, like a cruise ship that's stopped in port. The first employee ferry was not busy and almost entirely populated with night shift workers returning to their apartments on the mainland. Many of those workers even spent the ride sleeping on the first deck. No one on the ferry paid her any attention as she ascended to the empty top deck. Claire typically spent the journey pacing the exterior walkway to stave off seasickness. This morning, she was quelling nerves and mentally running through the day. Claire fantasized about cafe au lait, buttery croissants, and the latest issue of Vogue at her favorite coffee shop.

Just as she was making the turn at the ship's bow from starboard to port, she heard the starboard side stairwell door open. Claire groaned that someone would be invading her solitude, but she just kept moving forward at her speed-walking pace. As she walked, she considered taking a seat in a deck chair on the port side to avoid the other employee or employees. Claire shook it off and told herself, "Damnit this your day!" She slowed her pace just a tick when she rounded the stern to try and get a good look at whoever was there. It was a man in a baseball cap, black t-shirt, cargo shorts, and aviators. He had a full beard and was leaning on the railing. Claire's pulse began to pound when she realized it was Owen Grady. Paranoia kicked in, and she started scanning the walls for cameras as she walked. Claire was conflicted about whether she wanted him to acknowledge her as she passed. They ignored each other. Back on the port side, Claire's mind raced over this "coincidence." She wondered if Henry was trying to mess with her or get her in trouble. Claire decided not the think about it and continued pacing.

Owen wasn't entirely sure it was Claire behind the dark sunglasses. He watched her out of his periphery and hoped it was her as he checked out her ass in the yoga pants. It had to be her. The hunter green baseball cap with the "D" on front gave her away even if all her fiery hair was tucked inside. Owen guessed that her collared, long sleeve jacket was made of UV blocking fabric to protect her porcelain skin. He couldn't believe he still found her sexy in this get-up and contemplated whether or not this confirmed he was a stalker. After a few laps of avoiding eye contact, Owen turned and leaned his back on the railing. He waited for her to make the turn and start walking toward him. Then, he started walking slowly toward the bow. Owen didn't want to startle her, but he wanted his intentions to be clear. When she caught up to him, he increased his speed and kept pace with her. After a few seconds of silence, Claire whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Power-walking with you," teased Owen.

"Someone could see us."

"Claire, there's no one else up here, and you've been checking for cameras. Relax. You don't have to keep whispering either."

"Did Henry put you up to this?"

"I asked him to give you a head's up about the embryos."

"Why?"

"I felt guilty...about how you were treated after the press conference. I'm sorry."

"Thanks." Claire was most grateful for the fact that Owen appeared to care about her. She blushed and hoped he didn't notice. They walked in silence for a lap until Claire finally said, "It hasn't been that bad."

Owen lightly tapped the brim of her cap and scoffed, "Did you look in the mirror before you left your home today?"

"Did you?"

"Never," he responded playfully, "I always look good." Claire rolled her eyes and laughed. Owen ran a hand over his bearded chin and asked, "You don't like this?" She didn't immediately know how to respond, and her heart raced. Claire was perilously close to flirting with a man to whom she wasn't even supposed to be talking. She also did not want to let on how much she had learned about him and how many photographs she'd seen of him in the last three months. Claire wondered how much of the news Owen had seen about her. She crinkled her nose and said, "Just seems inappropriate for the tropical climate." Claire looked down before adding, "Looks like you're hiding out."

"Takes one to know one," he teased, "Henry said you hadn't left the island for over three months."

Claire groaned, "How does he know everything?"

"He's been here the longest. Neither have I, by the way, been off the island."

"Just a couple of 'wholesome, driven loners,' I guess."

"Who said that?"

"60 Minutes."

Owen groaned, "I stay away from all that. I have nothing to hide, but I don't want it to affect the job I'm here to do."

"Likewise," Claire said softly and somewhat unconvincingly. They resumed walking in silence until they reached the bow and Owen spotted the visitor ferry headed their direction in the distance.

"We better hide," he said sarcastically.

"Don't mock me," she was mildly defensive but still smiling.

"I'm serious. They'll have binoculars and telephoto lenses!"

"Stop it," Claire laughed and playfully knocked him in the chest.

"That was an embarrassingly weak karate chop," teased Owen.

"You want me to hit you again?"

"Maybe."

They had stopped walking and were just looking at each other now. Claire wasn't able to hide her blushing this time. Owen was grinning at her, and she looked down. He sighed, "I want to take you out...when this is all blown over and we're allowed to interact." Claire looked up at him and thought he looked nervous.

"It could be a while," she said softly.

"I can wait," Owen smirked, "Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

Owen took a deep breath and visibly relaxed. Claire thought it was the cutest she'd ever seen him. She smiled at him. Owen excused himself to use the bathroom, and Claire sat on the bench on the bow facing the direction of the ferry's movement. Her heart was racing, and she tried to calm herself down. Owen didn't return before she saw the mainland coming into view. Claire decided he wasn't coming back and headed down to the main deck. She didn't see him before the ferry docked and put him out of her mind as she reignited her excitement about the day she planned.

Owen wandered aimlessly throughout the town for several hours. No one recognized him. He couldn't focus on anything other than Claire. Owen was sure that she had specific plans for the day and didn't want to interfere with those. He also feared what would happen if he spent any more time in close proximity to her. Owen had almost lost control of his faculties after she agreed to go out with him. He wanted to get to know her better but worried that if he learned too much or spent more time with her that he wouldn't be able to stay away. Hell, he wasn't able to stay away today. Owen thought that she could be a bigger distraction to him than even the news coverage. He didn't sleep well the night before, tossing and turning about whether or not to go to the mainland that day. He ultimately convinced himself that he was doing it for the getaway. After all, Henry could've been wrong, and Claire wouldn't necessarily take the same ferry. Owen picked the first ferry based on his own preference and decided that, if she had the same preferred boat, maybe that meant something about their compatibility. He ruminated on their being classified as "wholesome, driven loners." Owen felt that was true for himself except that his thoughts about Claire were not entirely wholesome.

Claire was having one of the best days ever. She wasn't disturbed by any reporters or gawkers. No one seemed to be paying special attention to her except the shopkeepers who greeted her warmly and told her that they missed seeing her. Claire considered removing her baseball cap entirely but had terrible hat hair and instead just pulled a ponytail through the back. Over a pastrami on rye at the New York style deli she loved, she allowed herself to fantasize about a date with Owen Grady. It wouldn't likely happen for a long time, if at all. Once the raptors' threat to the park was real and not abstract, Claire imagined that PR and Risk Management would double down on the contact prohibition. Marketing was already operating on overdrive in anticipation of worst case scenario attendance drop-offs and bad press. She wondered if some of the key players who had thus far remained silent on the raptors, like Ellie Sattler or Sarah Harding, would finally comment. Ian Malcolm's own PR had already told the park that he was currently on an extended meditation retreat in Nepal and was unaware of the news. Claire cringed at the possibility of seeing Ian at the park. She was still working at Medixal Health in New York when he attended the park's grand opening and made a scene. His ploy backfired, so he hasn't commented much ever since. Claire mentally calculated a likely timeline for a date with Owen. She grimaced at the thought of him meeting someone else in the interval and reneging on his offer. Claire doubted she would meet someone else, but you never know. Part of her worried that she misjudged the situation entirely. Maybe he just wanted to be able to take her out to celebrate success, commiserate or satisfy his guilty feelings. Owen may not have any romantic intentions toward her. That thought made her sad but was possible considering he didn't return to the top deck. Claire decided to just enjoy the thrill of his possible romantic interest. After lunch, she walked past the duty free shops and headed toward the jewelers and fashion boutiques.

Owen lazily explored the town, people-watching as much as he was window-shopping. He laughed to himself when he overheard a park employee trying to pick up a girl by telling her about his "highly dangerous" job. Owen had a few bottles of Imperial at a bar that was showing American football. When feeling buzzed, he found himself wandering down to the high end stores. Liquid courage was pushing him to try and catch another glimpse of Claire. Owen saw her through a store window and tried to be inconspicuous. A salesman was bringing her different shoes to match the dress she was trying on: deep green silk and sleeveless with a keyhole cut-out below the collarbone. Claire was a knock-out even without the fuck-me heels she was perusing. Owen suddenly felt guilty about his voyeurism and decided that he was firmly sliding into stalker territory now. He walked back to the bar and had another beer.

Claire was exhausted when she climbed aboard the employee ferry back to the island. It had been a long but relaxing and productive day. She decided to sit in the air conditioned lower deck, multiple shopping bags in tow. Claire took off her cap for the ride, no longer worried about being recognized or interrogated maliciously. She was, however, recognized by Rosa, one of the cleaning ladies at the park. Claire saw Rosa frequently when she was working late and enjoyed practicing Spanish with her. Rosa liked to tease her about working too much but was always warm and kind. She was ecstatic to see Claire more relaxed and asked her about her day in town. Claire was so focused on trying to get her Spanish correct that she didn't notice when Owen walked on to the boat and went directly to the staircase for the upper decks.

Owen sat on the bench at the bow to watch the sunset. It made him content to think that his message through Henry resulted in Claire looking so happy this evening. He was impressed by her Spanish as well as her comfort with talking to park staff outside of administrators. Owen didn't want to think about it too much, however. He was starting to view Claire as dangerous, pulling his focus and causing him to do unhinged things like peering through shop windows. Owen resolved to throw himself into work - there was plenty to do - and decided that taking trips into town without a particular goal wasn't his cup of tea. He mused that it would have been fun to spend the day with Claire, but they were both sticklers for rules. Owen imagined her combusting with anxiety if he suggested something like that right now.

For the majority of the ferry ride, Claire slept against her shopping bags under the watchful, motherly gaze of Rosa. Rosa listened to music on her phone to avoid eavesdropping on the conversations of the other night shift employees. Shortly after the island came into view, Rosa saw a bearded man descend the stairs and sit across the deck from her. She didn't recognize him, but she caught his furtive glances toward the sleeping Claire. When the boat docked, the man immediately stood and walked in the direction of the gangplank. Rosa gently tapped Claire on the shoulder to wake her. After Claire sat up, Rosa told her, "La belleza durmiente tenia un admirador." Claire figured out the jist of Rosa's statement and looked around the deck. Rosa shook her head, "Salió." Claire asked, "Como se ve el?"

"Alto, fuerte, con una barba." Rosa pantomimed each descriptor and grimaced at the word for "beard." Claire laughed then blushed. Rosa smiled and said, "Te gusta el," before bidding Claire good night. Claire bit her lip and felt warm inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope it was fun to read, too. Let me know what you think...and if I got that Spanish right ;)


	4. The Eye of the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this chapter almost made me adjust the rating to M...

Claire fell into a routine as the next three months passed quickly. She mentally kept track of Henry's prediction for the raptors' hatching and revealed nothing to her staff. The press had completely stopped asking Jurassic World PR about the raptors after getting nowhere for half a year. The raptors were rarely spoken of by park staff. Claire felt like they were merely in the eye of the storm. She distracted herself with work and park gossip. Against all odds, Zara had agreed to give Jacob Staley another chance, and they seemed to be getting serious. Claire was jealous of their bliss and wished the doctor had just stayed a chauvinist. At low moments, she'd remind herself of the dormant offer of a date from Owen Grady. She otherwise didn't like to think about it. Claire had seen him a handful of times here and there on the island since the ferry ride. Owen always looked like he was moving with a purpose, too busy for anything or anyone extraneous. He hadn’t shaved that beard but at least kept it well-groomed. Owen, fortunately, did not appear to have turned into a wild, mountain man.

Owen visited the raptor eggs after park closing, more frequently as the time for hatching was getting closer. Only the two to three night shift lab and nursery staff were there after park closing, and he preferred the fewest number of people when he stopped by. Henry had teased him about being a nervous mother hen the last time their paths crossed. Owen did not want to draw attention to himself because everyone knew that there was only one reason for him to be in the building. One night, when he was walking to the restrooms near the lab, Owen was recognized by Rosa.

"Hola, señor," she said, "Hablas español?"

"Poco," he answered while making a hand gesture to signify "a little bit."

"Ella está arriba," Rosa smiled while pointing upward with an index finger then added, "Solitario." Rosa made a sad face before bidding him "adiós" and continuing with her work. Owen was thrown. How did she know? What did she tell Claire? He took a deep breath and considered the consequences of visiting Claire in her office. Owen stood in the empty, quiet hallway debating. Seeing her again would trigger the feelings he'd been keeping under wraps, but it might be his last opportunity to see her for a long while.

Claire sat at her desk reviewing and responding to emails. She glanced at her clock and chastised herself for not making time for a life. Rosa had been there earlier and simply told her that she looked sad. Claire was thankful that Rosa refrained from inquiring about the "Hombre fuerte barbudo." She guessed that Rosa had given up on that since she never said anything in response. The look on Claire's face, however, was probably worth a thousand words in a universal language. Claire leaned down to take her purse out of her bottom desk drawer. When she sat back up, she practically jumped out of her skin and exclaimed, "Jesus!" Owen was standing in her doorway. He laughed and said, "Really? That's who I look like with this beard?" Claire's heart would not stop pounding. She worked to slow her breathing enough to let out a weak, "Hi." Owen's face shifted to seriousness, "Sorry to scare you."

"You should be worried about scaring the babies," she teased.

"You think? It was going to be enough for me to shave it off for you."

Claire looked down and hoped that her entire head wasn't turning red. She looked back up, "They'll be here soon?"

"Tomorrow...night," said Owen, "Not for public display."

Claire sighed, "It will finally be real then." They exchanged nervous glances before Claire nodded and smiled. "Are you headed out?" she asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah."

They walked out of her office in silence. Owen was shocked that Claire didn't look more anxious about them being so close. Maybe she just knew where all the cameras were located. In any case, it made him wish he'd visited her before his penultimate night in the building. Her scent was intoxicating. It took all of his willpower not to pull her into his arms. They remained in silence all the way to the parking lot, when Claire finally said, "Thank you." Owen wasn't exactly sure what she was thankful for, but he needed to give credit where credit was due and responded with, "De nada." Claire grinned widely and blushed before saying, "Buenas noches," and getting into her car. Owen felt like the slightest gust of wind could knock him over. After three months of quelling his desire, it was stronger than ever.

* * *

Claire roamed the halls anxiously all day long. She should've been enjoying the peace and calm, knowing that the frenzy would begin anew very soon, but she could not relax. Zara and Lowery commented on her looking off and suggested she go home. She insisted, "I'm fine," in response to both of them. Zara cheekily suggested that Claire just needed a "good rogering." Claire glared at Zara before leaving to make rounds and review her calendar. She mused that the holes in her schedule over the next week might be filled by tomorrow. Claire wondered, however, how long the baby raptors would be kept under wraps. Would they be kept in a species-specific nursery for a few days like all the other assets or would they immediately move to their paddock? She wished she'd asked Owen the night before. Claire couldn't speak as they walked, certain she'd blubber or her knees would buckle or both. Zara was right about the rogering. Claire smiled to herself about Rosa being a matchmaker. She sent Zara an email asking her to buy Rosa a gift certificate to one of the boutiques in town. Zara eventually popped her head into Claire's office to ask what she wanted the card to say. "Gracias," said Claire. Zara sharpened her gaze at Claire, certain there was more to this story, "That all?"

"She helped me feel less lonely," Claire smirked.

"You need to stop working so late," Zara sighed and headed back to her desk.

Henry did, in fact, know what to expect when you're expecting raptors - even if it had been several years. The plan for the eggs to hatch after hours worked out. Henry stayed in the lab to oversee the proceedings. Owen had discussed the series of events required during the hatching with Henry and was prepared to do most tasks with minimal assistance. In addition to talking with Henry and reviewing Muldoon's journals, Owen spent a lot of time in the last six months reading about ethology. There was not enough data to pinpoint the exact "critical period" for raptor imprinting. Konrad Lorenz, who won the Nobel prize as the father of ethology, found that the first 13-16 hours of life was the critical imprinting period for the goslings he studied. Owen subsequently wanted to move his little "birds of prey" to the nursery at the paddock immediately after their birth. Henry balked at this and said that his staff at the main nursery would need a few hours to medically clear them for transport. Henry's experience and political savvy won out. He argued that the literal and figurative costs of the raptor project demanded that his veterinarians had their usual opportunity to maximize the chances for each of the six's survival. Owen and Henry bargained over the allotment of time. They agreed upon two hours. After that, Owen, a veterinarian, and a vet tech would accompany the hatchlings to the paddock. Owen intended to stay with the hatchlings for at least the first 16 hours. Henry encouraged Owen to take a nap in the veterinarians' call room attached to the lab during at least part of the two hour allotment. Owen slept during the day before the hatching and anticipated that his adrenaline would be pumping too strongly to take a nap during that time window. Henry was really just trying to encourage Owen to fully back off for at least a brief time so that the veterinarians could work.

When the eggs finally started the hatch, Owen worked with focus and great care but also joy. He asked Henry to have bare minimum staff on hand. Owen also wanted silence. After three eggs hatched, Henry spoke in a loud whisper, "Cat's out of the bag," and pointed to the hallway window behind Owen. Owen looked up at Henry, annoyed, and then toward the window. It was Claire, and she was wearing the green silk dress with the keyhole cut-out. Owen was unexpectedly elated to see her and forgot about the task at hand while they stared at each other through the glass. Henry cleared his throat, "I'm sorry about the leak. I swear it wasn't me." Owen turned toward him, "It was me. Let her in." Henry's mouth dropped open. Owen raised one eyebrow and smirked, "The NDA is still in effect for you and your staff." Henry feigned protest, then chuckled to himself and walked over to open the door for Claire.

Claire followed Henry back to his perch and watched Owen work. She was surprised to discover how much it relaxed her to be standing there, rather than sitting at her desk or pacing the halls. Owen had made good on his promise to shave off his beard, and the sight of him caring for the baby raptors was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. Henry disturbed her ogling, "I haven't seen this dress before. How long have you had it?"

"Three months," answered Claire, without moving her gaze from Owen.

"Saving it for a special day."

Claire started to feel nervous again and swallowed hard, but she didn't look at Henry. Turning her head and possibly blushing in front of him would only serve to confirm what he already suspected. Henry eventually whispered, "You've always had good taste." This comment made Claire smile, and she relaxed again. They remained silent for the rest of the eggs' hatching. Owen took each baby to the nursery for their check-ins with the veterinarians and to begin the two hour period prior to transport. He looked like a proud father and was grinning widely. Henry congratulated him on a job well done and pointed him in the direction of the call room again. Claire was hovering in the background, not wanting to disrupt Owen's process and considering slipping out of the lab entirely. She suddenly felt like she didn't belong and was intruding. Henry excused himself to head home and flashed a mischievous smile at Claire on his way out the door. She took a deep breath and walked toward the exit herself.

Owen was euphoric and felt his adrenaline pumping hard. His desire for Claire was suddenly on overdrive, too. He couldn't believe her appearing at the lab and in that dress. She didn't know about the NDAs, so she was taking a big risk. Owen considered using the call room for something other than sleep. When he turned away from the babies, Claire was gone. He felt like he was shot in the chest. Owen was frantic to find her and hoped she was still in the building. He told the nursery staff that he was going to take a break but would be back soon. Owen decided that it was his turn to take a risk. He texted her work phone number.

Claire was getting her purse out of her office when she heard the text tone on her work phone. Who could be texting her at this time of night? She was annoyed and hoped it wasn't some park emergency. Claire was exhausted and already considering calling out sick tomorrow. She dropped her purse on the floor when she read the message from an unknown caller with a 718, San Diego, area code: "I need to consult with you about some infrequently used AV equipment." Claire sat down in her chair and was almost hyperventilating. If he was already in the presenters' closet, she didn't want to stand him up - his earlier offer to take her out might be null and void then - but she was afraid what would happen if she went there. Claire knew she'd lose control. She knew she would've lost control if he made a move the night before. Claire wondered if she could limit it to just making out with him. After all, the closet was small and had large equipment taking up a good portion of the space. It wasn't just her, however. Could he stop at making out? Claire wanted him, and it could be months before she could see him again. Would hooking up with him now make that reality more or less bearable? With each ticking second of rumination, her desire grew.

Owen leaned against a table inside the presenters' closet and wondered if he made a mistake. Maybe it was too bold. Maybe visiting the lab was enough risk for her to take in one night. Maybe he just should've stayed close to his babies. Then, he heard footsteps. Maybe she just wanted to tell him off. She'd say she's not that kind of girl. That would be pretty hot, but he preferred to be inside her. Owen's pulse raced and his breathing quickened when the door opened. Claire entered the small space and quickly locked the door behind her. She took a deep breath before turning to face him. Claire looked anxious, tired, and extremely vulnerable. Owen could read it on her face and in her gorgeous green eyes: she was not this kind of girl, but she wanted him, too. It took only a fraction of a second to traverse the space between them. Claire surprised him by wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. Owen returned her embrace and waited for her to speak. His heart was still pounding, and he was certain she could feel how hard he was.

"I wanted to know what this felt like," she finally said.

Owen sighed, "I hope that's not all you want."

Claire pulled away slightly to look at him and stroke his clean-shaven cheek with her right hand. He felt as if her fingers scorched his skin. "No," she panted, "I just didn't want to skip it." Owen hoped to relay with his eyes the message that he didn't want a quickie fuck or some sordid tryst. He held her right hand on his face with his left hand and moved it forward to kiss her palm. Owen trailed soft kisses from her wrist down the underside of her forearm toward the pit of her elbow. She quivered at his touch. As he kissed her bicep, he came upon something that looked and felt like a matchstick under her skin. Claire noticed him take pause and whispered, "It's birth control." Owen abruptly changed his tactic and brought his lips swiftly to hers. He started slow and soft, allowing Claire to deepen it. While she ran her fingers through his hair, he unzipped her dress and put his hands on her waist beneath the fabric. Claire moaned into his mouth and then dropped her arms to her sides, allowing the dress to fall to the floor. She stepped out of the dress and kicked off her pumps. As she was now several inches shorter, Owen lifted her to continue kissing her. He carried her over to the table and sat her on the edge. Claire unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his bare chest before pushing the shirt off his shoulders. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled his pelvis into hers. Owen groaned into her mouth before removing her bra. He trailed kisses down her neck and décolletage then took one nipple into his mouth and massaged the other with his thumb. When he switched sides, Claire was full-on trembling and Owen could feel her heart pounding. She leaned backward and braced herself with her palms against the table top. He wished he had his knife to cut off her panties. Owen lifted her enough to pull them out from under her. He only took the time to remove one of her legs from the panties before opening his pants and pushing inside her.

Claire only had a brief glance at his erection but always thought that was one of the best aspects of sex. It intensified her desire to see how much Owen was turned on. He was pretty impressive, too, and just what she expected when she had compared him to a romance novel cover boy. Claire couldn't believe they were having sex in the same place they met six months ago. Owen thrust deeply and smoothly while she assisted his movements by pressing her heels into his buttocks.

"You are so wet," Owen said breathlessly. "This is amazing."

"I started getting wet when you looked at me through the glass."

"I wanted you since day one."

"Me, too."

Owen groaned and crushed his mouth against hers. She gasped when she felt his thumb stimulating her. Claire couldn't last long after that. When she shattered around him with her orgasm, Owen found his own release as well. Claire held tight to him, as if for dear life, even after their bodies had both stilled. She was trying to commit all of him to memory - smell, touch, taste, gaze - and almost started crying. Claire had tasted the forbidden fruit but would have to be without him now. As if reading her mind, Owen tightened his grip on her and kissed her again. This time was gentle and tender. Claire felt her heart melting and her breathing slow.

Owen seemed to reluctantly pull out of the kiss and sighed, "I have to get back to the lab."

"I know," Claire whispered. She wanted to say so much more, but it was not the right time. Before their bodies broke apart, Owen looked into her eyes in a way no other man had post-coitally. Claire felt cherished.

They dressed quickly and in silence. Neither seemed capable of addressing the elephant in the room. Owen thought it was better to leave it there, with the infrequently used AV equipment. He wouldn't regret what they did - it was worth every precious minute away from the lab - and hoped that she felt the same. It was damn good. When Claire moved to unlock the door, Owen had a sudden jolt of doubt and asked, "Are you glad?" Claire smiled and rolled her eyes, "Very glad. 'Amazing' was accurate."

"Not so 'wholesome' now, are we?" Owen grinned mischievously before she opened the door. They went their separate ways outside the conference room and neither looked back at the other.


	5. Second Wave

Claire texted Zara that she wouldn't be in the office until 1pm. She didn't feel the need to justify herself or provide any further details. As she finally laid down to sleep in the early morning hours, Claire felt more relaxed than she had in years. She giggled to herself over Owen's ridiculous question. Was she glad? Her body was still humming. It was better than amazing and exactly what she needed. Claire drifted to sleep thinking about the face he shaved for her and his gentle but possessive hands all over her body.

Owen wouldn't be able to sleep for many hours, but he had prepared for that. When he returned to the lab after his "consultation" with Claire, he discovered that one of the six hatchlings was not doing well. It was not an unexpected development. He and Henry had already discussed the very real possibility of one or two not making it through the first night. This was one of the reasons for Henry's insistence about the two hour allotment. Lab-created dinosaurs could have genetic malformations in the same way that natural born creatures could and were, in some ways, more prone to anomalies. InGen always incubated more eggs than the number of dinosaurs they expected to grow up in the park. Henry likened this to the multiple embryos implanted during in vitro fertilization for humans. Owen made clear that he ideally wanted a pack of four, so Henry authorized six eggs.

As he watched the sixth baby crump in the lab nursery, Owen had another reason to be grateful for his time with Claire. He hadn't become too attached to them yet and was more relaxed in coping with the loss. The other five were thriving. Owen did his best to replicate the work of noted ethologists who successfully imprinted on other animal species. As the two hour time window was closing, the veterinarian asked Owen if he wanted to stay longer in the lab nursery. He understood why that might be necessary. By all predictions, the struggling one was going to die within six hours due to multiple organ failure. The veterinarian was really asking Owen if he wanted to euthanize her. There was a very slim chance that she might live, but if she did, she would likely be the raptor version of a special needs child and have a truncated lifespan. She would also disrupt the pack, and she would not have the same bond with him as the other five. Owen had already considered this situation in his months of preparation, but nothing can truly prepare a person for having to make that call. With a heavy heart, he authorized it. The veterinarian told him that euthanasia happened all the time there and that Henry always reminded the staff it was one of the reasons why InGen and Jurassic World operations were separate.

Claire arrived at her office on a cloud. She felt reinvigorated and ready to take on whatever news came her way. Claire imagined that the raptors' presence would not likely be announced today but fully expected something to be said within 48 hours. As Claire was logging into her computer, Zara walked into her office carrying a large manila, inter-office mail envelope. "Tell me," Zara inquired with delight, "Was it sex or Xanax?" Claire glared at her and focused all of her energy on not blushing. Zara laughed, "You don't have to tell me. I'm just glad to see you looking relaxed - for once." She passed her boss the envelope and walked out of the office. Claire took a deep breath before unwinding the red string and inspecting the envelope's contents. There was a smaller manila envelope printed with her name and stamped several times in red ink with the word "CONFIDENTIAL." Inside that envelope was an NDA letter. It was printed on InGen letterhead, and her name appeared on the "To" line. The letter asked her to agree not to disclose her involvement in or knowledge of activities pertaining to "Project IBRIS." The period of time specified by the letter began on the Friday that Henry tipped her off about the embryos and ended tomorrow at noon. She was directed to sign the letter, seal it in the enclosed envelope stamped "CONFIDENTIAL," and hand carry it to Henry Wu.

Owen Grady's name did not appear anywhere, but that didn't stop Claire from being specifically upset with him. "That son of a bitch," she exclaimed softly. She considered putting a sticky note on the NDA that read, "Your trust in me is AMAZING," but she decided that would be too catty and sully their brief time together. Claire sighed and looked for something new on her calendar tomorrow. Just as she predicted: InGen press conference, noon to one. She signed the NDA, sealed it in the envelope, and sent a text to Henry. He wrote back almost immediately saying he could meet her in the lab now.

Claire was still reeling when she got to the lab. Developing bitterness was starting to unseat the joyful feelings the place had engendered in her the previous night. Just as when he first told her about the brute squad, Henry shut the door when she entered his office. Claire passed him the envelope and crossed her arms.

"You seem upset," Henry said cautiously. “There's no need for that." Claire huffed. He rolled his eyes. "Stop acting like a woman scorned. The NDA has nothing to do with whatever is going on between the two of you. All of my lab staff signed them."

"You included?" she interrupted acidly.

"Yes. Look, I asked him to send one to you this morning. You'll understand after the press conference tomorrow. He didn't want to send it." Henry paused to look at his watch then added, "He's still at the paddock. His hands are quite full and will remain that way for a long while. He doesn't deserve your venom." Claire took a deep breath and felt herself calming down. Henry looked at her sympathetically. "Get used to the idea that there will be secrets InGen keeps from park operations. It's for the best."

"Do you have any news for me in terms of asset development?" Claire sighed, "A new attraction could really help offset the hit we're going to take with the raptors' presence here. Herbivore, preferably?"

Henry smiled, "Yes, actually, we are almost ready to breed Pachycephalosaurus. One of the members of the classification was named by American children for the Harry Potter books. It's called _Dracorex hogwartsia_ , Dragon King of Hogwarts. Ours won't look exactly like that particular one, but imagine the tie-ins and celebrity guests. I'm finishing the initial package for marketing and PR right now." Claire was satisfied and nodded a thank you before turning to leave.

"Claire," Henry smirked, "the NDA is still in effect. Do you have any messages you need me to relay?"

She breathed out and pointed to the envelope, "You're taking that to him?"

"He's coming here shortly."

"Tell him I'm not mad, and I trust him." Claire couldn't look back at Henry when he re-opened the door for her electronically.

Owen appeared in the hallway just in time to see Claire, walking away from the lab down the corridor toward the administrative offices. He hoped she signed the NDA and that it hadn't spoiled anything between them. Owen was incognito in sunglasses, ball cap, and casual clothes. He hadn't been to the lab during business hours in months. Owen scanned his badge at the back door and went directly to the nursery. The vet tech on duty wordlessly passed him a package, and he signed for it. Henry caught Owen just as he was about to leave, "Don't forget this." Henry passed him the envelope, and Owen slipped it into a back pocket. Without looking at Henry, Owen asked, "Was she mad?"

"At first," Henry smiled, "She cooled off. She trusts you."

Owen looked up at him and said dismissively, "In your opinion."

"No. She said so herself."

Owen was relieved but also unnerved by Henry's intrusive smirking. After a brief silence, the older man sighed, "It's important that park operations trusts InGen, but don't take it for granted." Owen suspected that what Henry really meant was, "Don't take her for granted." He nodded to Henry and excused himself to take care of his package.

Claire got a coffee and went to check in with her control room staff. Everything was running smoothly. Lowery commented on her looking better today. They slipped into their usual banter about park operations. Things felt normal until he told her that Ian Malcolm had, per Facebook, checked in at a restaurant in LA today. Claire maintained her stone face and then excused herself to go find Miranda in PR.

Owen walked around the currently empty raptor paddock and imagined how different it would look once the pack of five grew a little older. He felt confident that he did everything possible to imprint on them. Charlie, Delta, and Echo seemed to be responding well to their names already. Beta or Bravo wasn't right for the largest, dominant one. Owen decided on "Blue" instead, due to her distinctive coloring. Omega, the runt, was already showing signs of being wilder than the others, despite her relatively diminutive size. Owen opened his package and started scattering the ashes around the paddock floor. He said a silent prayer for "Foxtrot" and left the paddock for some well-earned rest.

* * *

Just like the last press conference, Claire watched with the control room staff. Billy Brennan was live in San Diego this time, and no one was going to appear via satellite. He started by thanking everyone in the scientific community and in the public who had written InGen in support of their important research. Billy was "pleased to announce the arrival of five, healthy baby velociraptors." Claire audibly gasped and whispered, "Five," under her breath. No one appeared to notice her reaction. Billy emphasized that the raptors were completely separated from the other animals on the island, far from the park's attractions, and fully supported by their own staff. He spoke highly of Owen and joked that, like any new father, he was sleep-deprived. Billy seemed to go on and on about the knowledge that will result from the project. He dropped a few scientific terms and names that Claire didn't recognize. She could tell by the other faces in the control room that this jargon was going over their heads, too. Billy concluded his remarks by saying that "Owen Grady and his team need to conduct their research and develop bonds with the raptors without interference. The velociraptors are absolutely not for public display or available for private tours." Billy was alluding the fact that, for a fee usually only realistic for the extremely wealthy, one could purchase exclusive experiences outside of those included with general admission. Since the initial announcement about the raptors, several well-known billionaires had already inquired about private tours of the raptor paddock.

There was no Q&A after the press conference. As soon as Billy stepped away from the mic, the news coverage cut to the sidewalk outside InGen headquarters. Ian Malcolm was speaking with a reporter near the building. Lowery was ecstatic. He had explained his fascination with Dr. Malcolm to Claire on numerous occasions. While Alan Grant and Billy Brennan were lured to Isla Sorna under false pretenses, Ian Malcolm not only went willingly, he also made choices that placed his daughter at unnecessary risk. Lowery thought that Ian Malcolm had become the living embodiment of chaos theory. Zara studied psychology in college and argued with Lowery in a past conversation that Dr. Malcolm was simply "Personality Disorder NOS." Lowery thought that was a cop-out, and ever since he learned the term from Zara, he made use of any opportunity to affect a snooty British accent and describe something as "Not Otherwise Specified."

Dr. Malcolm did not mince words on the sidewalk. He slammed InGen for pretending that they were merely engaging in well-intended research and challenged Billy's statement about support for velociraptor research among either the public or the "legitimate" scientific community. Dr. Malcolm rhetorically asked why Billy himself wasn't leading the research effort if he thought it was such a fantastic opportunity. He mused that Billy might not be qualified. The reporter asked him about Owen Grady, and Dr. Malcolm said that he didn't know any more about him personally than what had already been reported by the media. He did, however, question Owen's motives and true intentions for the research division. Dr. Malcolm dropped the relative bombshell that Owen was going to be out of a job before being hired by InGen since the Navy Marine Mammal Program was slated to be decommissioned. He explained that NMMP produced only controversy and failed to justify its existence with actual research or other output. Dr. Malcolm ended his comments by asking for someone more involved in the research than Billy to address the media.

As soon as Dr. Malcolm finished speaking, Lowery turned to Claire, put up a hand for a high five, and said, "Nothing about you this time - score!" Claire tilted her head, raised an eyebrow, and glared at him. "No high five?" he asked, feigning sadness. Claire's cell phone rang, and it was Miranda, asking her to come to her office. As she said goodbye to Lowery, he teased, "I know a guy who can get you another Xanax." Claire rolled her eyes. As she walked back to the offices, she wondered what happened to the sixth hatchling and how Owen was handling that. Claire was nervous that the death was, in some way, related to his time away from the lab with her. Doubt also crept in about whether or not her knowledge of the sixth hatchling was the only reason for her NDA. Claire worried that Owen regretted what they did and questioned if he truly trusted her.


	6. Under Fire

Owen watched Billy's press conference from the building next to the paddock. Billy had already relayed the talking points, but, as Claire said, it's real now, and Owen wanted to see how the raptors were actually presented. Billy had asked Owen if he wanted to appear via satellite, but Owen felt that was inconsistent with the message about the Research Division being not for public display. Billy told him, "You're too wooden for TV anyway." Owen guessed that Billy was only half-joking about that. He didn't want to appear on TV, generally and especially not now. Owen didn't mind anything that Billy said - even the sleep-deprived comment that was intended to bring levity to an otherwise serious announcement. He thought it was cowardly, however, for Billy not to do Q&A. InGen was tipped off that Ian Malcolm might try to crash the press conference, so they wanted full control of information dissemination for the time being. Dr. Malcolm was considered by most to be a loose cannon. Although many in the city of San Diego still viewed him as a savior, it was widely speculated that his actions stateside were driven by guilt. It was never entirely clear how much of an accomplice he was to InGen's plans. His judgment was repeatedly called into question over the years, and there was a sex scandal that further blemished his character. When Dr. Malcolm showed up at Jurassic World on opening day talking about the safety of children and tampering with nature, he was booed. Henry Wu famously referred to him as "joyless" and said that, although they were skeptical, Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler understood the beauty of the original park. Ian Malcolm, by contrast, "lacked their sense of wonder."

Owen had mixed feelings about Dr. Malcolm's comments. On the one hand, he was grateful that Claire was left alone. He suspected she would be a target once again regardless. On the other hand, Owen did not appreciate the insinuation that he had something to do with NMMP's getting decom'd. Dr. Malcolm had chosen his words carefully, saying just enough to cast doubt on Owen's competence without actually disparaging him. Owen ultimately decided that it was all bullshit. They had a job to do. If he showed his team that the news didn't matter to him, they would be less likely to get distracted by it. Owen was happy to return to his raptors.

* * *

Days and weeks rolled by with very little having changed in Claire's day-to-day routine. Between the two InGen press conferences, marketing ran a campaign offering non-refundable vacation packages at discounted rates. It was genius - something that Claire believed her successor had picked up from her. A few families tried to get their packages refunded in the wake of the raptors' arrival, but the deals were ironclad. There was a drop-off in new ticket sales and resort bookings, but no one was hysterical about it...yet. The mainland hotels became a more popular choice for many guests, as if people believed that raptors would only attack at night. Claire was happy that the port town's economy wasn't suffering too badly. As a businesswoman, she always considered the broader picture of economics and appreciated the park's delicate, symbiotic relationship with Costa Rica. Walking around the park, Claire could tell that the mood was subtlely less bright. Most people probably didn't notice, but she recognized the change in the air. It made her a bit melancholy, and she often came back to that question, "When will this blow over?"

Owen and his team were largely unaware of what was happening in the park at-large. Their hands were indeed very full. InGen had to stand up a medical trailer alongside the paddock due to all the injuries, mostly scratches and bites. Several low level staff quit. The young raptors were always testing the limits of their environment. Owen's imprinting kept him relatively safe, and he was almost never challenged. Omega was the most bold, and she suffered for it. When she scratched his left flank one morning, the other four attacked her. Owen tried to call them off her before seeking his own wound care. It was a rare occasion of his not being absolutely thrilled by the job. Owen loved watching and playing with his raptors. They enacted so many of the characteristics he studied about in captive wolf packs. Although Omega was often the pack's punching bag, she also instigated play among her siblings to ease tensions.

The raptors were just about the only females in the Research Division. Barry joked that there might be grounds for an EEO complaint against them. Owen and Barry both knew that certain hazardous jobs, like the military or working on oil rigs, always had more men than women. It wasn't sexist; it was the reality. Barry frequently flirted with Genevieve, one of the EMTs in the medical trailer. He was careful, however, not to do it in front of Owen. Owen was generally very private and standoffish - probably the last person in the division that anyone would approach with personal issues and not just because he was the boss - but Barry knew he still carried a torch for Claire Dearing. Some days, Barry enjoyed studying Owen's behavior more than the raptors'. Like the day word got around that Claire was getting rifle lessons at the gun range on the island. Two of the Research Division's private ACU troopers were talking about seeing her there. They traded vulgar puns about Claire and firearms. When Owen walked past the three of them, Barry made a point of saying, more loudly than necessary, "You really shouldn't talk about Ms. Dearing that way. She's in charge of the park."

"I wouldn't mind her being in charge of me," one of them said with a lascivious smile. Owen stopped in his tracks but did not turn around. Barry noticed that Owen's hands curled into tight fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white. Owen took a deep, steadying breath before continuing on his way. Moments later, the troopers startled at the sound of several barrels clattering to the ground. Barry teased them as being too jumpy for security personnel.

Marketing and PR for the park were launching a major campaign for the pachycephalosaurus debut. The theme of their campaign was "Defense Against the Dark Arts" to tie into the Harry Potter universe. The pachys would have a gladiator-style battle arena - conveniently located next to the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo - to show off their head-butting skills. The promotional materials for the enclosure highlighted that their thick skulls allowed them to fend off predators. Lowery took his cue to say, "Predators, not otherwise specified," when Claire and Zara were in the control room one afternoon. Zara rolled her eyes at him, then joked that the phrase "elephant in the room" should be changed to "velociraptor in the park." Lowery playfully hissed at her, "No V word in front of Claire." Claire uncharacteristically started laughing uncontrollably. Lowery and Zara stared at her in disbelief. Once Claire composed herself, she explained, "C'mon, guys, really? V word, as in Voldemort, as in He Who Shall Not Be Named? It would be a brilliant addition to the advertising if we were allowed to make such jokes." Lowery and Zara still thought Claire laughed too hard but didn't dare make another joke about Xanax again. Zara simply reminded her boss of the time.

"Defense" was the new buzzword throughout the park. Miranda came up with the idea of Claire learning to shoot as a sign to the public - but more so investors - that she was personally invested in park safety. PR and marketing also thought it would appeal to a certain segment of the American population to have Claire seen with a gun in her hands and hanging out with ACU in a "more casual" setting. Claire thought it was a really dumb idea at first and didn't like being used for such a purpose. She wanted to support the pachy launch, however, and do whatever might help take the focus off the raptors. Claire had taken to using the presenters' closet to change into her clothes for the range. It was almost erotic undressing in the room linked unforgettably to her real "He Who Shall Not Be Named." Being in that tight space made her feel connected to Owen. Claire hadn't seen him since that night, and she stopped watching the news two days after the last press conference. The selfish reason she agreed to go to the range was that she might see him there. Claire figured it was something he might do himself. After five weeks, she was beginning to think she was wrong. She also wondered if Owen heard about her going there and was intentionally avoiding the place. After all, the contact prohibition hadn't been lifted. Risk management said InGen was being cagey of late regarding the raptors, so collaboration with the Research Division on the safety campaign was currently off the table.

The raptors were growing rapidly. Henry had engineered them to have an accelerated growth rate. In a short time, it would no longer be safe for anyone - even Owen - to interact with them directly on the paddock floor. The catwalks for the paddock were typically the patrol zones for their ACU troopers and were used by the less experienced maintenance techs. Owen dreaded the day that he would be relegated to the catwalks as well. Barry, on the other hand, had already transitioned to using the catwalks half the time. The raptors challenged Barry daily. Although he had been present for a portion of the imprinting critical period, Barry didn't nearly have the bond with them that Owen did. Owen encouraged him not to feed into the raptors' games. He believed that Barry behaved in a way to reinforce their dominance over him. The one positive aspect of this hierarchy was that Barry's closest bond was with Omega. Omega didn't challenge Barry in the way that he challenged Owen, and she didn't participate when the other four defied Barry as a unit. Sometimes, she would even divert their attacks on him to herself. Owen teased Barry that he was the Omega male. Blue had already asserted herself as the Alpha female, so Owen had extra reason to be happy about changing her moniker early on.

As the Alpha male, Owen stayed at the paddock 18 hours a day. He told Barry that he needed to supervise the night shift staff to ensure consistency in the raptors' care. Barry thought he worked too hard and should develop a life of his own outside of the raptor pack. He knew all too well, however, that Owen consistently hid behind his job to avoid others. When he was active duty, Owen complained of being "owned by the government, always at their beck and call" to justify why he made little time for socializing or hobbies. He didn't have that excuse anymore, but his behavior hadn't changed. Genevieve encouraged Barry to let Owen be and live the life he wanted. Barry confided much in Genevieve, but he didn't dare say anything to her about Claire Dearing. He came close to slipping up when Genevieve shared the latest gossip from the ACU troopers. She told Barry that Trooper Lee had been training a girl on the park staff to shoot and was planning to ask her out on a date that afternoon. According to Genevieve, Trooper Lee was telling everyone what "great foreplay" it had been and that he was sure he'd "get her in the sack." She thought his behavior was grotesque and hoped Barry didn't talk about women like that. He reassured her that he didn't then immediately excused himself to find Owen.

Claire was developing into a crack shot, at least with an M16. Trooper Leonard Lee told her that he could to teach her to “handle other weapons.” She noticed Leonard being more flirtatious this week and was happy that next week would be her last scheduled training session. Claire actually found shooting to be a stress reliever, but she couldn't help feeling like the men at the range were leering at her the whole time. She wanted to chastise herself for being sexist, but she'd worked in business long enough to know how men thought. Claire also knew from brief chats with Trooper Allison Meyers, the only female in the ACU, that these men were no different. Allison told Claire that she felt like she had to adhere to higher standards and was constantly having to prove herself, even with Commander Hamada. Claire thought this was probably why there weren't more women in the ACU. She'd considered advising Allison to submit an EEO complaint. Claire scoffed at the idea, however, since she gathered it was a "top down" attitude originating with Vic Hoskins himself. If it got back to him that she had encouraged the complaint, it might further strain tensions between InGen and park operations. Strangely enough, Commander Hamada approved Allison's request to re-decorate the women's bathroom at the range. Since she was the only one who used it and ACU frequently hung out at the building - during shifts and in their leisure time - the bathroom became Allison's de facto office and escape. Claire thought this sounded terrible until she saw it. Allison had painted the walls sea foam green and told Claire that she'd read that this particular color relaxed people and was used in "other" mental health facilities. Claire liked Allison's self-deprecating gallows humor. She also really liked the bathroom, with its vase of colorful silk flowers, plush chaise lounge, and bamboo aromatherapy diffuser. It felt like a different world from the range and was conveniently located on the opposite end of the building from the men's bathroom. Claire grimaced at the thought of what the men's room must look like.

When Claire passed her M16 to Leonard at the end of the hour, he smirked at her in a way that gave her chills - not the good kind. Leonard asked if she wanted him to show her how to clean his gun. The way he asked gave her the impression that he wasn't referring to the M16. She wanted to hide out in the women's bathroom and cancel next week's training session. As she struggled to formulate a coherent response, short of slapping him and storming out, Leonard told her, "You're cute when you're nervous." Claire recoiled on the inside but managed to stiffen her posture and put on her stone face. She woodenly thanked Leonard for the lesson and walked around the corner to the women's bathroom. Claire immediately clicked on the aromatherapy machine, sank into the chaise, and closed her eyes. Her moment of zen was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. Claire opened one eye, groaned, and made a mental note to advise Allison to install a peep hole. Maybe Allison was back early from patrols, and Claire could tell her now. She cringed at the thought of Leonard being on the other side of the door.

Owen stood outside the door anxiously looking around, despite the fact that the women's bathroom was isolated from the traffic of the building. He doubted Claire saw him standing twenty feet behind her when she was talking to Leonard. Owen was just close enough to hear Leonard's come-on before she stalked out of view without looking back. Leonard himself huffed out the exit without making eye contact with Owen. Claire opened the bathroom door after what seemed like an eternity to Owen. His nerves melted away when their eyes locked. She blushed, opened the door just wide enough for him to slip through, and bolted it behind them. Owen was momentarily bewildered by the condition of the bathroom before turning to face Claire.

"Are you going out with Leonard?" he asked, with a mix of rage and hurt in his voice.

Claire's face contorted with disgust, "Are you kidding?" Owen raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side. Claire swallowed then stammered, "Of course...you're not kidding." Before she could take a breath, Owen had one arm around her waist and was stroking her cheek with the back of his free hand. "Say no," he pleaded. "No," Claire whispered. Owen crushed his mouth against hers so forcefully that he momentarily worried about bruising her lips, before finding delight in the idea of "marking his territory." In a flash, he was pushing her against the wall and pinning her arms. Claire whimpered as Owen pulled out of their deep kiss.

"I hope that's not all you want," panted Claire, parroting his words from their closet rendezvous.

"Not in the least," Owen said, tightening his hold on her arms. "But that's all for now." He pinned her arms because he wouldn't be able to stop himself if she put her hands on him. Claire was still breathing hard and pouted. He shook his head, "You think it's gonna be easy for me to walk away from you? It never is, Claire." Owen rested his forehead against hers, "This is not the time or place. You know that." She took a deep breath and nodded before Owen freed her arms. Claire poked her head out the door and indicated to him that the coast was clear. He slipped out of the bathroom without another word or touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Malcolm will return - he's an important force, not unexpectedly.


	7. Two Roads Diverged in a Prehistoric Wood

Claire cancelled her final training session with Leonard Lee. She spoke with Allison about being featured in the advertising for the defense campaign. Allison refused, saying that she already gets enough shit from her co-workers. She told Claire that she wanted equality with her ACU brethren and not special treatment or attention. Allison also revealed that Miranda had approached her about the campaign before concocting the scheme for Claire to train at the range. Claire suddenly felt like sloppy seconds. When she returned to her office and changed back into her work clothes, there was an email from HR asking her to finalize the employment package for hiring a second park monitor in the control room. Claire fired off an email to the chairman of the board for Jurassic World asking why they went over her head for this addition to her staff. She almost instantaneously received a curt reply, stating that Enrique approved the addition before he left and that she must have missed the subsequent email traffic about it. Claire prided herself in being meticulous and doubted that she missed any emails. She felt panicky. Having two park monitors meant that less oversight - her oversight - would be necessary in the control room. Claire ruminated on the meaning of this and why Enrique hadn't thought to tell her. This time, she wasn't being paranoid. The tectonic plates of her role in the park were shifting.

Owen returned to a raptor paddock in relative chaos. One of the maintenance techs had turned his back to the cage. Blue took advantage of the opportunity to slip her claw through the bars and nearly tore off the man's arm. The tech had been stabilized at the medical trailer before the airlift arrived to transfer him to a mainland hospital. Owen felt responsible. Barry reminded him that he can't be at the paddock 24/7 and that people are careless sometimes. Owen fired back angrily, "I'm not supposed to be." As his boss stormed off to call InGen risk management, Barry realized that his attempt at getting Owen away from the paddock more was an epic fail. The incident would only reinforce Owen's behaviors. Barry walked past the cage to find Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo snarling at him while Omega was keeping to herself at the far end.

InGen risk management ultimately determined that the technician was at fault in the incident. Just as in the military, however, their investigation identified multiple "contributory factors" at the paddock. New burdens fell on the entire division to prevent future incidents. There were increased training requirements for all staff, the paddock's structural engineers returned to discuss modifications to the construction, and Owen was pressured to immediately transition to all catwalk-based training. Owen was furious, mostly with himself but also Barry. Despite Barry's insistence that the incident still might have occurred if he was present at the paddock, Owen chastised his friend and co-worker for "distracting" him. The raptor pack sensed the animosity between their handlers and tried to split them further. Omega challenged Owen more, while the other four increased their attacks on Barry. Subsequently, Omega picked more fights with her siblings and Barry used the catwalks most of the time.

* * *

The pachycephalosaurus launch was an enormous success and financial boon for the park. Time Warner provided corporate sponsorship for their arena, and there were numerous tie-ins throughout the park. JK Rowling and Jack Horner came to the arena grand opening to talk about _Dracorex hogwartsia_ and other types of pachys. Rowling read excerpts from the Harry Potter books dealing with Defense Against the Dark Arts to children at the Innovation Center. Time Warner also helped bring various actors from the Harry Potter movie franchise to the park for photo ops and guest appearances at the arena. Through it all, Claire was there as the public face of park operations. She hobnobbed with the Time Warner executives and pitched ideas for other collaborations in the park, like products juxtaposing DC comics characters and various dinosaur species. Claire's business savvy sealed a deal linking Aquaman and the mosasaur. She was also the face of the park's new partnership with the Indianapolis Children's Museum, where the _Dracorex hogwartsia_ skeleton was on display. When the time came to approve Vivian Krill as the second park monitor, Claire was relieved to finally have more assistance in the control room. Both Claire and Zara were too busy to go to the control room more than a few times per day, and their visits were usually brief. Every week brought new ideas and data for Claire to synthesize and integrate.

Claire developed insomnia. She lay awake nights thinking about the job and wishing for a friend or confidante unconnected to park operations. Claire was constantly surrounded by people during the day but had never felt so alone. She didn't want to burden her sister, Karen, who seemed a world away and busy with her own job and family. They hadn't been close for years, largely due to Claire's disinterest in talking about motherhood and children. Sometimes, Claire would think about Owen, but that enterprise could be more painful than relaxing. No one had mentioned the raptors or the Research Division to her in a couple of months. Claire needed to figure out how to ask about the contact prohibition in a way that would minimize piquing others' curiosity. She wondered if anyone would even care if she reached out to Owen. The velociraptor situation had, after all, "blown over." Ticket sales and public interest were back on track. Focus groups in New York and San Diego even indicated that they wanted scarier attractions.

Owen was thankful that the incident at the paddock was not brought to the attention of the park. The Research Division fully complied with all of risk management's directives, and their employees' NDAs - not to mention InGen's legal settlement with the injured tech - prevented any media leaks. Owen had cooled off toward Barry, largely to counter the raptors' splitting behaviors toward them. Just when they thought things were getting back to normal, Henry Wu showed up at the paddock unannounced.

"I'm always interested in how my creations are functioning," Henry said when his appearance was questioned. Owen bristled at this, "We don't have any obligation to report to you."

"Stop being so prickly." Henry's countenance then changed to one of seriousness, "They're not technically yours. They are InGen assets, and my reputation hinges on my creations." The two men glared at each other for several moments. Eventually, Owen uncrossed his arms and relented, "You know about the incident."

"Yes," Henry said with a smile, "Show me which one did it."

"They don't take kindly to strangers."

"I'll keep my distance. I want to see them in action."

Owen considered putting up resistance to this request but ultimately decided it was probably well within Henry's "rights." His having access to the paddock was likely contained within the hundreds of pages of legal documents, contracts and protocols covering Project IBRIS. Owen led Henry up to the catwalks to demonstrate some of the commands that the raptors were trained to follow. In addition to recognizing Henry as an outsider, the raptor pack was attuned to Owen's nonverbals and appreciated his disdain for the geneticist. The raptors fell into their usual dynamics. Omega defied Owen's commands, while the other four obeyed between snarls at Henry. When Owen asked Henry to guess which one was responsible for the incident, Henry incorrectly guessed Omega. Owen was smug and explained that while Omega has "problems with authority," she is otherwise the most passive. All Henry said was "interesting." Owen went on to give Henry a brief lesson in animal behavior and revealed that Blue maimed the tech. He knew he was being condescending but didn't care. When Owen finished, Henry said he'd seen enough. Owen detected the hint of a threat in Henry's voice when the doctor said, "I'll remember this."

* * *

Two months after the pachy launch, Claire had a scheduled meeting with Henry and Simon Masrani in the lab. Simon started by telling Claire how pleased he was with her job performance and how the park was thriving under her leadership. He went on to praise Henry's efforts to revolutionize asset development. Henry then explained that, as part of an ongoing research effort, his team needed tissue samples from the park's resident carnivores.

"Attractions will close temporarily to allow Henry's team to collect the samples," Simon told her. "ACU will subdue the assets and assist the lab staff."

"We will be as careful and efficient as possible to minimize disruptions to the experience for park visitors," Henry interjected. "We begin this week. I'll email you the proposed schedule and necessary resource allocations."

"Are you getting tissue samples from the raptors?" Claire asked calmly with as little emotion in her voice as possible. Henry smiled a knowing smile. Simon looked at her with confusion, "That wouldn't impact park operations." Henry stifled a laugh before Claire quickly responded, "You said carnivores, so I was curious." She shot an angry look at Henry, who remained silent. Simon shook his head, "Always curious, Claire. We'll let Henry get back to his work. You are supposed to be taking me to the control room to meet my new park monitor." Claire sighed and followed her boss out Henry's door.

Vivian Krill was a delightful addition to the control room. She was calm, kind, and funny. Lowery was clearly smitten. He didn't appear to miss bantering with Claire and Zara now that Vivian worked next to him all day long. Simon Masrani chatted up Vivian briefly then told Claire that he needed to speak with her privately in her office. When alone, Simon told her, " _Time Magazine_ is planning a cover story about Jurassic World."

Claire scoffed arrogantly, "It'll be positive given their parent company's vested interest."

Simon cleared his throat, "Yes, Claire, and they are very impressed by you. So much so, there has been talk of you being on the cover rather than myself." Claire looked away from him and felt nervous. Simon laughed, "I think it's great. I hand-picked you for the job, so it's a reflection on my good judgment."

"What's the problem, then?" she asked cautiously.

"Ian Malcolm's publisher is releasing a 20th anniversary edition of his book, _God Creates Dinosaurs_. He's currently writing a new introduction and final chapter."

"Not great timing."

"Or, great timing. Think positively, Claire. This park is meant to teach people humility. I've personally invited him to visit the park before he finishes the new sections. I want you to host him while he's here."

Claire was stunned but indignant, "I really don't think that's part of my job."

Simon wrinkled his brow but was stern, "Senior Assets Manager encompasses so much more than Enrique was willing to do. You've exceeded my expectations. I know you won't let me down." With that, Simon excused himself to continue his own, mysterious to Claire, itinerary for the day. She sat at her desk to catch her breath. Her mind raced through all the times in the last year that she worried or wondered why Simon Masrani picked her for this job. An oft-repeated quote by one of her college professors occurred to her: "What in the world isn’t marketing?”

* * *

Jacob Staley was happy to have a patient who didn't talk much. He preferred silence while he stitched. Silence was best for Owen, too, especially after today. He was embarrassed by what happened but glad that Omega attacked him at night, when very few paddock staff were there to watch. The staff had been present to see Barry challenged by the other four raptors and Omega deflecting their rage onto herself. Late in the evening, Owen attempted to check on Omega. He knew that his days on the paddock floor were numbered, and he hoped to make peace with her and assess the wounds inflicted by her siblings. Omega wanted no sympathy from him and scratched Owen's chest. The other four promptly came to his defense, and Owen had to retreat out of the paddock immediately due to his injury. As Jacob worked, Owen worried about Omega. In the wild, "omegas" in animal packs had the ability to leave if the environment became too hostile for them. Omega didn't have a choice. After six months, she was growing more defiant, and they were all growing more dangerous to their handlers and each other. Jacob sighed as he tied the final knot and started cleaning off Owen's left pectoral. "You're very lucky the claws didn't go any deeper," Jacob told him. "You'll need to take it easy for about six weeks. I want to check the wounds at the clinic in a week. I have a few pain relievers and dressing changes with me, but you'll need to come by the clinic in the morning for a longer supply and printed wound care instructions."

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late," Owen said sheepishly.

"No worries. That's what I get for being on call tonight. To be honest, it was a welcome change." Jacob pushed back from the table and removed his gloves.

"What do you mean?" Owen asked. Jacob laughed, "My evenings are frequently disturbed by my girlfriend's job. She's always on call."

"For what?"

"She's the assistant to Claire Dearing," Jacob rolled his eyes. "That woman works as late as you." The surgeon unpacked a few items as promised and stood to leave.

"Thanks, doc," said Owen. "I'll swing by the clinic in the morning."

"Get some rest."

Owen winced as he stood up. He swallowed one of the pain relievers dry. When he was getting dressed, his cell phone fell out of his vest pocket. Owen noticed a text message alert from one of his contacts: "Red - I can't sleep." The message came through an hour ago, so he didn't know if it was still true. He wrote back anyway.

Claire was still staring at her bedroom ceiling when she heard the text chime. She hoped it was a response from Owen and not a park issue. Claire smiled to read: "Voldemort - I don't sleep." It was time to be brave and just go for it. She typed quickly without proof-reading and hit send: "Would you meet me for a walk through the botanical gardens northeast trail at dawn?" Claire anxiously awaited a response. Moments later, she read: "See you in a few hours." Claire relaxed and was able to fall asleep almost immediately.

Claire dressed for her morning walks very similar to how she dressed for the ferry ride she had taken with Owen, but sans baseball cap. The northeast trailhead was a short distance from the back entrance of the resort and almost always deserted at dawn. This morning, Owen was already waiting for her when she crested the hill above the gardens. Claire felt herself wanting to run to him. She contained her excitement and awkwardly said, "Hi."

"It's good to see you," Owen replied, "Shall we?" He held out his right hand to her, and Claire blushed. She took his hand, and they started walking the trail. They both remained silent and didn't look at each other for several minutes. Claire felt content and almost didn't want to say anything, as if to risk spoiling the moment. Before she could open her mouth, Owen finally broke the silence, "What happened to you yesterday?" He emphasized the word "you," piquing Claire's curiosity.

"What happened to YOU yesterday?" she asked, mimicking his tone.

"I asked first," said Owen, as he turned and smiled at her.

"Simon Masrani was visiting the park. He informed me that I'll be hosting Ian Malcolm when he visits the island in a few weeks."

Owen's eyes went wide, "Is that in your job description?"

"My job description seems to be fluid. I find myself doing things that have less and less to do with managing assets. More and more, I'm chief liaison to the media and investors. Yesterday, Mr. Masrani flatly admitted that my predecessor wouldn't do what I'm doing for the park."

"Then stop. Go back to what you were doing before."

"I can't," she scoffed, "I'm past the point of no return. I feel lost...and...out of control." She stopped walking suddenly and faced him, "They want to put me on the cover of _Time_ fucking _Magazine_."

"Yikes. You really can't turn back."

They smiled at each other. Claire wanted to throw her arms around him but hesitated to be that bold. She bit her lip and looked at him expectantly. Owen sighed then took her right hand and placed it gingerly on his shirt over his left pectoral, "My yesterday."

She felt the bandage underneath his shirt and panicked, "Oh my God! What happened?"

"One of my raptors, Omega, is feisty."

Claire started to cry. It wasn't just for Owen's sake. She thought about the park, the contact prohibition, Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant, _Time Magazine_ , JK Rowling, and more. "They're not safe," she said under her breath, not looking at him.

"No, they're not. Don't tell Dr. Malcolm."

"This is why we're not supposed to talk."

"Let's not then." Owen leaned down to kiss her gently. Claire helped to keep his left arm still, but he winced in pain when she tried to deepen the kiss and ended up tugging on him too strongly. They both started to laugh. She squeezed his right hand, "Maybe we should just walk."

Owen relished every part of their silent walk down the trail: the softness of her hand in his, the smell of the flowers, the early morning light glinting off her red hair, the not-so-distant sounds of waves crashing on the beach, and her taste still on his lips. He never felt so close to paradise. Owen couldn't forget the pain in his chest or the challenges he would face back at the paddock, but this walk made it all tolerable. He made a mental note to apologize to Barry for how he treated him after the incident with the tech. Barry was a keen behaviorist, and he was right. Owen needed to get away from the paddock more. He needed to take better care of himself. The danger of working with the raptors made Owen feel alive. Walking alongside Claire, he discovered another way to feel alive. It was simple, pure, and authentic.

When they reached the end of the trail, Owen asked, "What now?"

Claire groaned, "Go back...to the real world."

"This feels real to me."

Claire stammered, "Of course...me, too...that's not what I meant."

Owen laughed and stroked her cheek, "I know. I like giving you a hard time."

"I just thought it was arrogance." Claire winked at him, and Owen thought it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. If not for fear of popping a stitch, he would've jumped her right there in the botanical gardens. They walked back to the trailhead in silence, holding hands, and occasionally stealing joyful glances at each other. Owen didn't let go of her hand until they reached the resort's back parking lot. As they were about to part ways, he kissed her hand and said, "Thank you. We should do this again."

"Definitely," answered Claire, "I hope you feel better."

"I already do." Owen got in an InGen-labeled SUV to drive to the employee medical clinic. When he looked in the rear view mirror, she was already gone.


	8. Creatures of a Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "All of us are creatures of a day; the rememberer and the remembered alike. All is ephemeral—both memory and the object of memory. The time is at hand when you will have forgotten everything; and the time is at hand when all will have forgotten you. Always reflect that soon you will be no one, and nowhere."  
> ~Marcus Aurelius, _The Meditations_

When Owen returned to the raptor paddock, he stopped in his trailer to deposit his bag of supplies from the clinic and replace his bandage. He took another pain reliever before heading out to find Barry. Owen was in a great mood, and his friend could tell.

"What's different today?" Barry asked.

"I think it's time to move my trailer away from the paddock," Owen replied.

"Finally! Anywhere in particular?"

"There's a good spot near one of the lakes north of the park."

Barry noticed that Owen wasn't moving as fast as usual and trying to keep his left side still. Barry looked at him with alarm, "Did something happen to you?"

"Yeah," Owen smirked, "I walked through the botanical gardens at dawn."

Barry was puzzled and didn't know how to respond. Owen was enjoying his friend's confusion, "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Bad news," Barry answered demonstrably.

"After you went home with Genevieve last night, I went to check on Omega, and she scratched me pretty bad. I had to call the surgeon to sew me up."

"Merde. I was wondering why Omega looked worse this morning than when I left."

"I'll be functioning at a lower capacity for the next six weeks. Catwalks only."

"The paddock floor is too dangerous for anyone now, Owen. You had to learn the hard way."

"You're right."

Barry did a double take then put a hand to one ear, "Excuse me? Could you repeat that? I thought you just said I was right."

Owen patted him on the back, "That's not the only thing either." They started to walk over to the paddock before he continued, "You were right about my needing to get out more. I was too hard on you for 'distracting' me. I never even told you how well it went that afternoon at the range...epic, actually."

"Are you blushing?" Barry teased. "So, the good news is the botanical gardens?"

"Yeah." Owen went quiet. He realized how much he was revealing and how out of character it was for him. It made him uncomfortable and reminded him of all the times he considered his feelings for Claire to be dangerous. As if reading his mind, Barry told him, "Don't overthink it. She makes you happy. Happy looks good on you." With that, Barry headed up to the catwalks and respected his friend's private nature. Owen took a deep breath and ascended the stairs more slowly than usual.

After their sublime walk together, Claire took Owen's advice about returning to her actual job - at least for the first part of the day. She brought her coffee to the control room and sat at Lowery's unoccupied workstation. It was a little tidier since Vivian started working next to him. Vivian and Lowery's shifts were staggered. Park monitoring was less intensive at the start and end of the day. Vivian was a morning person, and Lowery gladly gave her the opening shift. Claire felt guilty for never making time to get to know Vivian, so it was a little awkward when she first sat in Lowery's chair. She suspected it was also awkward for Vivian because she usually only appeared in the control room to ask about problems. When the silence started to disrupt Claire's cheerful mood, she asked, "Do you like the job so far?"

Vivian was a little surprised but then relaxed, "Yes, very much. It's fascinating...the job itself and the animal-watching."

"It's been great having you. Sorry I don't spend more time here."

"You don't need to apologize. If you were here more, I'd be insecure about my performance." Vivian smiled warmly at her before asking tentatively, "What brings you in this morning?"

"I used to start my daily rounds here. I needed to be reminded why I work so hard."

"Lowery said he thought you lost touch with it, too."

Claire realized that she didn't give Lowery enough credit for his observational skills. She was losing touch with the living things in her world and getting too wrapped up in data and expectations. Claire was hopeful about getting back in touch with Owen. Just then, Zara stalked into the control room looking slightly frantic. She walked straight over to Claire, "Is everything alright this morning?"

"Yes," Claire looked at her quizzically, "Why?"

"You never come to the control room first thing anymore, and...um...well." Zara cocked her head slightly and moved her eyes toward Vivian. Claire understood that Zara wanted privacy. She promised Vivian that she'd be back later. Vivian shrugged her shoulders as the other two women left her to her work.

When they reached Claire's office, Zara shut the door and whispered nervously, "Are you aware of anything...untoward happening last night?"

Claire was genuinely confused but decided to lighten the mood with British slang she'd picked up from her, "Something 'dodgy'?"

Zara laughed, "Yes, actually. Look, I'm not supposed to know this, but Jacob got called into the park late last night for a medical emergency. He didn't tell me who or where - doctor/patient confidentiality and all that - but it bothered me. You haven't heard about any incidents that would reflect poorly on the park?"

Claire guessed what the emergency was and felt relieved that it wasn't under the purview of park operations. She needed to figure out how to get Zara to drop it. "Someone on the night shift probably had an accident or passed out," Claire said with a blank expression on her face. "Housekeeping staff, lab tech, maintenance crew - who knows? Stuff like that happens all the time."

"Claire, I know it doesn't happen 'all the time.' I'm sleeping with one of the three doctors who take call on the island."

"Maybe the other two get paged more than Jacob!" Claire said, with more emotion in her voice than she intended. Zara furrowed her brow, "I think I'll go see Harry in risk management all the same."

"No!" Claire practically shouted. She cleared her throat and adopted a much softer tone, "You shouldn't even know anything. Don't go spreading rumors. If there was a significant incident...like...a heart attack, department leads would be responsible for reporting or not reporting based on their protocols."

Zara sighed, "You're right. I'll let it go. It's just...I was really worried about Jacob. I couldn't sleep until he got back. When he did, he looked shaken up." Claire couldn't conceal the worry on her own face. She deflected any suspicion by sympathetically patting Zara's shoulder. Zara smiled appreciatively, "I think I might be in love with him."

Claire felt herself starting to tear up, "That's wonderful." Zara blushed and excused herself. Claire sat at her desk feeling an uncomfortable mixture of jealousy and sadness. In one year, she'd spent no more than a total of three hours with Owen spread out over six occasions. "Pathetic, driven LOSER," she thought to herself. Claire momentarily wondered if Owen was seeing other women. She shook it off as a futile thought. Claire ruminated longer on whether she was using the, now nebulous, contact prohibition as an excuse.

* * *

After five days on the catwalks and having a limited range of motion, Owen was getting frustrated. He missed the paddock floor and wondered if he'd ever be able to interact with his raptors that way again. It was affecting the raptors, too. Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo knew that Omega was to blame for this change in their Alpha. The dominant four further ostracized her and took every opportunity to antagonize her. Owen and Barry's efforts to redirect their behaviors were failing. They decided to continue with scent training and hope for the best. Owen went down to the closed cage gate to let the raptors sniff a box filled with rags soaked in anise. The dominant four seemed anxious to interact with him at the gate and ran right over. Omega followed slowly behind them. While Owen stood near the gate, Barry threw an anise-soaked rag into a corner of the paddock. Omega caught Barry's motion before she joined her siblings at the gate.

When Owen gave the command to "seek," Omega knew exactly where to go. She retrieved the rag and started to run to the gate. Before she made it back, however, she was intercepted by her siblings. Blue tried to take the rag out of Omega's mouth while the other three surrounded her. Omega had nowhere to go. Blue battled for the rag and eventually clamped her jaw over Omega's nose. Omega wouldn't yield. After a brief struggle between the two, the other three jumped on Omega and pinned her to the ground. Owen and Barry knew things were getting out of hand fast. They each tried calling off the dominant four. When they wouldn't listen and continued to bite and scratch Omega mercilessly, Barry tried luring them away with dead rodent "snacks." They paid no attention to Barry's efforts. Owen didn't have any food within reach at the gate, so he called for a tech to bring him meal meats. He wasn't thinking clearly between his adrenaline surging, fear for Omega, and the throbbing in his chest from moving more than he should. Barry redirected the techs to dump the food in the back pens of the paddock. Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo took the bait. Once they were in the pens, Barry sealed the door, blocking their return to the main area of the paddock. Owen immediately opened the cage gate and ran over to Omega. In that moment, Barry was fearful for both Owen and Omega. He ran down from the catwalks as fast as he could.

Owen stood over Omega's twitching, damaged body and flashed back to the the night of the hatching. He knew she wasn't going to bounce back from this assault. He was going to lose another one. Owen felt paralyzed, partly due to willful emotional detachment but mostly out of fear that Omega would use her remaining energy to harm him. Barry knew Omega wouldn't hurt him, but he still knelt at her back before placing his hands on her. Though neither of them were strangers to carnage, both men were upset by the sight of her blood and flesh on the paddock floor. The rest of the paddock staff watched from a distance. No one spoke. The silence was broken by the other four raptors clawing and calling to be released from the back pens.

"Get the vet," Barry pleaded.

"It's too late," Owen said stoically.

Barry's nostrils flared, "That's it? You don't even want to try to save her?"

"Where, huh? Who? No one else is going to touch her except to put her out of her misery." Owen hadn't memorized all of the project's protocols, but he knew this much was true. He also knew that they needed to move Omega before her siblings figured out a way to break out of the back pens. Barry was slowly coming to the realization that Owen was right.

"You call Henry, then," Barry sighed.

"What?" Owen snapped back at him.

"Protocol. Henry gets the body."

Owen swallowed hard, horrified at the prospect of Henry's staff performing a necropsy on Omega. He took a deep breath before walking out of the paddock to make the call.

A team comprised of ACU and lab staff descended on the paddock to euthanize Omega before transporting her body to the mortuary. Owen stayed in his trailer and chased a pain reliever with a shot of tequila. He told himself that he originally wanted a pack of four and that Omega never fit in anyway. Intellectually, this was perfectly reasonable. Emotionally, this was much harder to process. It was the gritty side of being an Alpha: decisions are made for the sake of the pack. Owen tried not to feel guilty or second guess himself too much. Barry knocked on his door to let him know that their staff were "resetting" the paddock floor to release the other four.

"You doing okay?" Owen asked his friend.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," Barry replied, "You?" Owen nodded then said, "I'll talk with Henry at the lab tomorrow after I go to the clinic. I want her ashes, too." Barry nodded in agreement. They walked back to the paddock, and Barry gave Owen the honor of opening the door to the back pens. The raptor pack rushed out and appeared to be looking for Omega. They all sniffed in the spot where her body had been lying. Blue kicked dirt over a blood splatter on the paddock floor before instigating a run around the paddock with her siblings.

Claire walked into the control room in a bad mood. Dr. Malcolm wanted to move up his park visit to next week, and she was scrambling to re-arrange her other meetings and project deadlines to accommodate him. Miranda in PR was already frazzled in preparation for him. Claire stood between Vivian and Lowery and frowned, "Why is the _T. rex_ Kingdom closed? It's feeding time."

"ACU and lab staff are in there getting their tissue samples," Lowery answered.

"They were supposed to be done an hour ago so as not to disrupt guest experiences," Claire groaned.

Vivian interjected tentatively, "ACU were busy elsewhere and weren't available at the appointed time."

"Did something happen? Where were they instead?"

"Nowhere on our radar," Lowery said with a raised eyebrow. Claire took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She said under her breath, "I do not need this today," and walked straight down to the lab to speak with Henry.

The doctor was not surprised to see her and even seemed to be laughing at her approach. He ushered her into his office and shut the door, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Your _T. rex_ sample collection team disrupted the feeding show," she responded curtly.

"Oh," Henry smirked, "I thought your visit was about something else."

Claire rolled her eyes at him, "Will all the tissue collection be complete by the end of the week?"

"Absolutely. In fact, we had a stroke of luck, and our project should be moving forward even sooner than I anticipated."

She looked at him with suspicion, "That's...great for you."

"Is there anything else, Claire? I need to get back to...analyzing samples."

"Did you get the update on Dr. Malcolm's itinerary?"

"Yes," Henry groaned, "I am not looking forward to seeing that feckless downer again, but I will put on my pageant smile and give him a show."

"Thank you."

As Claire started toward his door, Henry prodded her, "Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you today?"

"No," she said with her stone face. As Claire walked back to her office, she debated texting Owen. She desperately wanted to know if he was okay, but she shouldn't even know anything and didn't want to seem hysterical. Claire was reminded of Zara's realization during their conversation about Jacob's call. "That's crazy," Claire thought to herself, "I don't even know him." She redirected her thoughts to Dr. Malcolm's imminent visit.

* * *

The morning after Omega’s demise, Owen called Henry from the clinic parking lot to ask about meeting in the mortuary. Henry suggested they talk in his office at the lab instead. Owen didn't want to have a sensitive discussion in the fishbowl lab during the park's opening hours, but he knew timing was of the essence and reluctantly agreed. When Owen arrived in his office, Henry motioned for him to take a seat.

"I prefer to stand," Owen practically spat.

"Suit yourself," said Henry, pouring himself tea. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want signed NDAs from the lab staff and extra ACU who came to the paddock yesterday to...take care of Omega. My project is not supposed infringe on park operations."

"The protocols clearly state that non-project staff can assist in emergency situations, but discretion is the better part of valor. I can get signed NDAs from my staff. You'll have to talk to Hoskins about NDAs from ACU." Henry sharpened his gaze at Owen before continuing. "Keeping up the charade that the raptors are 100% separate from the park is exhausting, isn't it? Maybe you just should drop the pretense...especially in light of Ian Malcolm's upcoming visit." Owen didn't flinch and remained expressionless. Henry laughed, "The two of you can't fool me. You make a fine pair."

Owen ignored the comment and cleared his throat, "Are you doing a necropsy?"

"Whatever for?" asked Henry, shaking his head. "It's clear what caused her death."

"Then why do you need the body?"

"Owen," smirked Henry, "you still haven't read through all your protocols."

"Stop fucking with me, Henry. I want the remains, just like the hatchling."

"It's so cute how you actually still believe that package contained the hatchling's ashes." Owen's eyes went wide with fury and disbelief. "When you made that request six months ago, it proved that you hadn't read that deceased assets' bodies belong to me - donated to science - for tissue and organ harvesting. Do you honestly think I would allow such valuable specimens to be incinerated?"

Owen's hands tightened into fists at his sides, and he was breathing heavily. He swallowed hard and asked, "What was in the package?"

"Dirt," Henry said matter-of-factly. Owen slammed his right fist on the desk, rattling the glass teapot.

"You are un-fucking-believable," Owen snarled, "You son of a bitch."

"Take your filthy sailor's mouth of my office," Henry spat back at him. "I have actual scientific endeavors going on here." Owen couldn't hold back his anger any longer. He grabbed the large chunk of amber sitting on Henry's desk and threw it hard against the glass wall behind him.

Lowery was getting situated at his workstation when the lab alarm rang and its camera feed popped up in the middle of the control room screens. He watched a flock of guests moving away from broken glass in the hallway. Vivian touched a finger to her Bluetooth, "Security to the lab, security to the lab. Careful of broken glass." She turned to Lowery, "Call Claire." Vivian tapped the Bluetooth again and nodded between her statements, "Is medical assistance required? I'll call housekeeping and have engineering assess the damage. You're welcome."

Lowery was speaking fast to Claire over the phone, "There's been an accident in the lab. We don't know what happened. Looks like a shattered pane of glass outside Dr. Wu's office. I don't see anyone hurt. We can't see inside his office. Oh shit." Lowery and Vivian went silent as they watched two security guards escort Owen down the hallway outside the lab. Moments later, Vivian received an "all clear" notification from security in her Bluetooth. She repeated aloud in a somber tone, "Perpetrator in custody."

"Who's the perpetrator?" Claire asked as she suddenly appeared behind them.

"I didn't recognize him," answered Vivian.

"It was Owen Grady," said Lowery, "the velociraptor researcher." Claire froze. The first emotion that came over her was guilt. Guilt that she hadn't reached out to him the day before. Guilt that she might've prevented this, whatever it was that just happened. The second emotion was fear. Fear that the park would suffer for her inaction. Fear that Owen would be gone. When she regained her ability to move and think, Claire turned to Vivian, "Was anyone hurt?"

"No." At this response, Claire relaxed. She excused herself to return to her office. Claire knew this was an InGen matter to resolve. In no time flat, housekeeping would clear the hallway, and engineering would implement a temporary fix to the wall. Park operations would continue with minimal impact. There might be some bad press or amateur videos leaked on the internet. The park would manage this. Claire wrote a quick email to Harry and Miranda. She didn't contact Henry or Owen. Owen might still be in custody, and his phone might've been confiscated. Claire returned to her daily tasks and hoped for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this far. I’ll post another group of chapters soon - I promise not to leave things hanging for too long!


	9. Suspended Animation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ian Malcolm chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading so far. From here on out, the chapters are longer.

Claire was on her way to lunch when she heard her text tone. She checked her phone and saw a "real-time location" notification from a blocked number. The location was on the north side of the island, above the park. She could get there by car in twenty minutes. Claire decided to skip lunch and headed to the parking lot. She tried to clear her mind of all thoughts and just be in the moment as she drove to her destination. When she reached the coordinates, Claire saw a familiar InGen-marked SUV and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she saw him, sitting on the ground and leaning his back against a tree by the lake.

Owen turned his head when he heard her car. At least, he assumed it was her car. He didn't tell anyone else where he'd gone after getting off the phone with Hoskins and being released from custody. Claire was the only person Owen wanted to see right now. It was only fair, after she summoned him to the botanical gardens at dawn. Claire didn't let him down. He watched her walk awkwardly toward him in a navy blue dress and black pumps. Owen wondered if she'd feel comfortable sitting next to him in the grass. He wordlessly motioned her to his right side. Claire raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I'm not getting grass stains on this dress."

"Have it your way," Owen teased as he criss-crossed his legs and patted his lap for her to sit there instead. She took off her pumps, sat in his lap, and leaned her back against his right side. Owen kissed her neck, giving her goosebumps. After several minutes of silence, Claire asked, "Why here?"

"This is where I'm going to live," he replied.

Claire was confused, "Where do you live now?"

"I have a trailer. It's currently parked next to the raptor paddock." Claire feigned gagging. "I know," Owen laughed. "This spot is more befitting a loner."

"It's beautiful here." Owen could feel Claire's heart pounding and wondered whose was beating faster. She asked hesitantly, "You're still employed then?"

"Yes," he sighed. "Two week suspension without pay. Oh, and Henry said I can't come to the lab alone ever again." He paused then added sheepishly, "Sorry if I caused any trouble for you."

"You didn't hurt anyone, and Henry probably deserved it."

"He knows we're...communicating."

"I know. I saw him yesterday...after whatever pulled ACU off my radar."

Owen sighed, "I don't want to talk about that." He kissed her neck again.

Claire closed her eyes and moaned, "What are you doing to me?"

"Distracting you." Just then, Claire's phone rang in her pocket. Owen groaned, "Turn that thing off or it's going in the lake."

"You may be suspended," Claire scoffed, "but I am still a very important person to the park."

"Can you just be a very important person to me right now? I came to the gardens for you."

"As if there was nothing in it for you," she huffed.

"And there's nothing in this for you?" Owen lightly nipped her earlobe with his teeth. He could tell she was breathing more heavily.

Claire turned herself around in his lap and pushed his back against the tree, "If you want to mess around, let's mess around." She was careful not to touch the left side of his chest when she pressed against him and kissed him hungrily. Owen had not expected her to be so aggressive and almost lost it. She was pinning him so hard that he felt like he couldn't move without re-injuring himself. He uncrossed his legs, forcing her legs to the ground and breaking her vise grip on him. Claire surprised him again by suddenly unpinning him and opening his pants. Owen broke their kiss, "I thought you didn't want grass stains?"

She smiled seductively, "This is just about you today."

"Are you sure?" Claire didn't answer before resuming their deep kiss and wrapping her hands around him. Owen was almost embarrassed by how quickly he came. Almost. As he caught his breath, Claire smiled at him like the cat who ate the canary. She stood, brushed the grass and dirt off her knees, and slid her feet back into her pumps. Owen struggled to put his pants back together and stand before she started to walk away from him. He caught one of her hands and whispered, "You own me."

Claire licked her lips, "You owe me." She squeezed his hand and added sympathetically, "I'm sorry...for whatever happened yesterday."

"Thanks." Owen let go of her hand and watched her leave. He wondered what she saw in him, a guy who lives in a trailer next to his job site, throws rocks through windows, and makes her job more difficult. Regardless, Owen wished he could spend the next two weeks in bed with her.

* * *

"The eagle has landed," Lowery announced gleefully as he, Vivian, Claire, and Zara watched Ian Malcolm step off the Jurassic World ferry on the the control room screen. It was the best day of Lowery's life on the island. Claire and Zara groaned, almost in unison. Vivian laughed. Lowery turned to Zara, "You think you'll be able to diagnose a more specific Personality Disorder by the end of the day?"

"I may have to formulate a new classification as unique as him," Zara said with a wink. "Alright, last chance to review the itinerary." Claire had already memorized the itinerary - all the good that endeavor would do. Ian Malcolm was famously unpredictable and might balk at everything her team had planned for the day. Transparency was the word of the day. Jurassic World had nothing to hide. InGen might be another story, but Claire had no control over that. It was her idea to meet him inside the Innovation Center, near the monorail stop. Miranda thought it was risky and wanted her to meet him at the ferry landing. Claire wanted park operations to be consistent with its transparency and show that they trusted Dr. Malcolm. She was not going to walk on eggshells around him, but she wasn't a babysitter either. It was a fine line to walk, and Claire felt confident that she was up to the task. Lowery clicked from camera to camera so that they could watch Dr. Malcolm's movements until he entered the monorail. Other visitors on the monorail asked him for autographs and to take selfies with him. Claire was impressed by how gracious he seemed to be when asked. "Okay," she told them, "Don't spend all day watching us. We'll come here after the 4pm _T. rex_ feeding...if he sticks to the itinerary."

"Good luck," Zara replied as Claire walked to the elevator. Claire stopped in the ladies' room to give herself a final look-over. She picked a deep purple knee-length dress that was conservative but not prudish. She wore her hair in a chignon. Claire looked at her phone one last time before leaving the bathroom. There was nothing new from "Voldemort." She re-read, for probably the one-hundredth time, his message from yesterday: "I miss you." No matter what happened today, they had a standing plan for another dawn walk in the gardens before the end of Owen's suspension.

Owen was drinking a mug of coffee and looking out over the lake. He wasn't allowed to go to the paddock to assist with the moving of his trailer, but InGen allowed his staff to relocate it for him. Setting up his new home base gave him something to do. It had been a pleasant, if not lonely, endeavor for the last ten days. Owen decided he needed more than the spartan trailer and was planning to construct a bungalow closer to the water. These were the thoughts he allowed himself during the suspension. He was willfully avoiding thoughts about the raptors and his research project. Owen had no idea what the new normal would be at the paddock after his suspension ended. Hoskins wasn't particularly mad at him and only gave him the suspension to appease Henry. Hoskins made it clear to Owen that he was invaluable and irreplaceable to InGen. Barry came by the lake once a day to talk about mundane things and slip in a few updates about the pack. It didn't help Owen to hear that they seemed "lost" without their Alpha. Barry seemed a little lost without his Omega. Owen thought he was fortunate to have Genevieve.

After the media obtained a guest's smartphone video of the amber flying through the glass and his being escorted away from the lab, Owen nixed any thoughts of spending a significant portion of his suspension with Claire. He did not want to and, frankly, could not (on account of his suspension) talk to the media. InGen PR took the lead, as expected, minimizing the incident as a disagreement between staff and referring to Owen as a "spirited employee." As Claire intimated, the focus was on the fact that no one was harmed - save for Owen's pride. Someone from Jurassic World media relations spoke to the press, apologizing for any alarm that the incident caused guests and emphasizing that the clean-up and management by park staff showed how capable they were of handling "unexpected drama." Claire was not talking to the media. In fact, she had texted Owen the word "embargo" when he asked. Her _Time Magazine_ cover somehow hinged upon today's Ian Malcolm visit. Owen didn't have a remote understanding of the situation, but he knew Claire was anxious and busy. He had an overwhelming sense of powerlessness in his professional and personal lives. It was a very uncomfortable position for Owen. He had revealed very little to Claire during their few phone conversations and text messages since her visit to the lake. Owen had already decided not to contact Claire at all today. He didn't want her getting "caught" knowing things that she shouldn't know. He wanted her to have plausible deniability and appear genuinely surprised if certain things were discussed or occurred. Owen also didn't want to distract her. As he looked out over the lake, he mused that this was not likely a good starting point for a relationship.

* * *

"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Malcolm," Claire said earnestly while shaking his hand.

"Are you sure?" he teased.

"Absolutely. Your insights and feedback helped make Jurassic World what it is today."

"You say that with such conviction."

"I bring conviction to everything I do."

"That sounds exhausting." Dr. Malcolm smiled at her, and Claire couldn't help smiling back. "Now, what do you have planned for us today?"

"Several things," Claire cleared her throat, "Is there anything in particular that you would like to see?"

He grinned at her, "Oh, plenty, but out of respect for you, let's stick to whatever you have planned. At least, for the time being."

"I appreciate that," Claire said with a nod. She could hardly believe he was just going along with this. Claire had prepared for some sort of battle. Before getting too cocky, she reminded herself that he could switch on a dime. Claire led Dr. Malcolm through the Innovation Center. He nodded to the statue of John Hammond and then gave Claire an unsettling look. She shook it off, and they continued to the lab. Henry was waiting for them, wearing his lab coat, and doing his rounds. He slightly sniggered at their approach. Before Henry could say anything, Dr. Malcolm announced to the room, "There's not enough joy in here. I was expecting something closer to Santa's Workshop."

"Hello, Ian," Henry smiled smugly.

"Henry," Dr. Malcolm said while gesturing with one hand as if addressing royalty. "I'd make a joke about promising not to break anything in here, but I suppose you wouldn't find that funny now."

"I haven't lost my sense of humor. Besides, everyone needs a little spice in their life. Don't you agree, Ms. Dearing?"

Claire was unflustered and just smiled, "You know me well, Henry."

"Ms. Dearing and I have a very collegial working relationship. I do think it's one of her secrets to success as Senior Assets Manager."

"You always got along well with John Hammond," Dr. Malcolm interjected.

"The park has a well-developed support structure beyond anything that John Hammond imagined, Dr. Malcolm," Claire asserted, "I'll be introducing you to my core staff later today." Dr. Malcolm looked around the lab and watched the guests in the hallway "ooh and ah" through the glass walls. Henry interrupted his quiet contemplation, "Still think this is 'mad science'?" Dr. Malcolm smirked, "It's science, and it's mad, but it's not 'mad science.' Congratulations, Henry." The two men shook hands, and Claire caught what looked like a sigh of defeat from Dr. Malcolm. When she and Henry made eye contact, they were both pleasantly surprised. Claire thought, however, that Henry seemed suspicious as he watched her lead Dr. Malcolm out of the lab.

Claire was mentally ticking off itinerary items as the afternoon progressed. Dr. Malcolm said very little as they toured the pachy arena, underwater observatory, and the Cretaceous Cruise area. She warmly and confidently reviewed park statistics and safety features. After living on the island for over four years, Claire not only had data to present but also poignant anecdotes about the staff and assets. The more she spoke, the more confident she became. This was truly Claire's island, backwards and forwards. She noticed that Dr. Malcolm was particularly taken aback when they reached the aviary. Claire knew that he had never seen pteranodons during his previous visits to the islands. She decided to mirror his reticence and wait for him to speak. Claire laughed to herself, thinking that her few experiences with Owen had taught her to feel more comfortable with silence. Dr. Malcolm still hadn't spoken by the time they boarded the monorail for the Gallimimus Valley stop. He turned to her as soon as the doors shut, "What were you ruminating on back there?"

Claire was caught off guard but recovered quickly, "I was trying to give you space and time for your thoughts."

"Certainly," he laughed, "You needed to give your voice a rest." He shifted to being earnest, "You've been using your marketing smile all day, but something different just broke through. It was prettier." She swallowed and said nothing. Dr. Malcolm appeared guilty, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your private thoughts. So, gallimimus, huh? Alan and Tim really enjoyed them...before the _T. rex_ did."

Claire gibed, "You should keep a rimshot sound effect button in your pocket to follow your jokes."

After the aviary, Dr. Malcolm started to talk more. He got in a few digs about InGen's past missteps and some of Masrani Global's less flattering enterprises, but he genuinely seemed in awe of the park. Dr. Malcolm passed on the gondola ride, however, telling Claire that his past helicopter "tours" of the island were enough. They were subsequently running ahead of schedule. Claire decided to use some time before the _T. rex_ feeding to show him the Aquatic Park. Dr. Malcolm joked about not bringing his swim trunks and then asked Claire if she was planning to change into a bikini. She felt uncomfortable with how he looked at her when he said it. Claire didn't feel like he was leering at her, but there was something sinister behind his eyes. It reminded her of how he looked at her near the John Hammond statue. She brushed it off by saying that today wasn't "casual Friday."

Claire was unnerved and walked in relative silence toward the _T. rex_ Kingdom. She looked forward to rejoining her team in the control room. Claire was pleased to discover that the _T. rex_ show muted Dr. Malcolm once again. He even refused autograph seekers in the viewing area. Claire thought that Dr. Malcolm appeared more pensive than he had all afternoon. He lingered at the glass after the majority of the other guests headed to the exit. The _T. rex_ paid no attention to him. Claire wondered if Dr. Malcolm was offended. In the midst of the stillness, she fought the urge to check her phone. Out of respect for Dr. Malcolm, and at the directive of PR, Claire had kept it in her pocket with the ringer completely off all afternoon. He truly had her precious, undivided attention. She eventually positioned herself on the opposite end of the glass window where he was standing.

"In twenty years," Dr. Malcolm said while watching the carnivore, "everything has changed but nothing is new." Claire listened intently and waited for him to continue. "Your boss is right. This place makes people feel insignificant...and frozen." He swallowed and finally looked toward Claire. Dr. Malcolm had that same, strange gaze from before.

* * *

“Did you tell her?" Barry asked anxiously.

"No. We're not supposed to talk with park operations, remember?" Owen responded condescendingly.

Barry rolled his eyes, "Do you talk?"

Owen smirked, "Not much." They both laughed before Owen continued, "I don't think she'll be upset with me. She'll have an opportunity for an honest reaction in front of Ian Malcolm." He took a deep breath, "I wanted to tell him not to interrupt her important day, but then I would've revealed too much." Owen looked out over the lake, and his friend picked up on his melancholy mood.

"You don't go after the easy ones, do you?" Barry teased. "That wouldn't be 'consistent' with your character to do so." Owen was exhausted from keeping so much inside and trusted that Barry was the right confidante.

“Look," Owen began, "I never wanted something difficult. I didn't want anything at all...before I met her. I don't even really know her, but she has this effect on me - like a spell. It's maddening and thrilling at the same time. In a way, it's helpful to hide behind the contact prohibition."

"Maybe you just need to sleep with her."

"I already have." Barry was legitimately shocked and speechless. "Just one time. The night of the hatching, and it was the hottest sex I ever had."

"Maybe it was so hot because it's forbidden."

Owen frowned, "I hope not."

"You got it bad, my friend," Barry laughed. "See her more. Talk. De-mystify it. See if she feels the same way." Owen went quiet. He didn't like feeling vulnerable. It scared him to think she didn't feel the same way. Barry almost read Owen's mind, "You're over-thinking again. Life is too short for that. I wish I could show you a picture of your face after you met her in the gardens."

"I see your face after you spend time with Genevieve."

"I don't mean to rub it in." Barry smiled and patted Owen on the shoulder before bidding him adieu.

Claire felt uneasy sitting in the restaurant across from Ian Malcolm. She wished they were still in the control room. Watching Lowery sputter in front of him had been priceless. He lost his ability to make wisecracks while Vivian held her own and showed off her formidable multi-tasking skills. Zara did not make an appearance due to being busy with something unexpected that she promised to explain after Dr. Malcolm boarded the ferry back to the mainland. Claire knew that the unexpected was part of her job, but she had felt on her toes all day and wanted some relief from it. She brought Dr. Malcolm to the top-floor restaurant in the resort that overlooked the lagoon as the "final stop" of their day. He made a joke about sea bass that went over her head, and they had been silently perusing their menus for the last minute. Dr. Malcolm suddenly looked up at her and asked, "Do you see eggs Benedict on the menu?"

"No," Claire answered suspiciously.

"Must be tonight's special." Ian cleared his throat and said under his breath, "Incoming."

"Ian Malcolm, how the hell are you?" Billy Brennan asked jovially. Claire fought the urge to roll her eyes and wondered if Billy was Zara's "something unexpected." Dr. Malcolm couldn't hide the irritation in his voice, "We've never actually met, Billy."

"That's right," Billy quipped, "You've been so vocal against my employer, I guess I feel like I know you already." He turned to Claire, "Good evening, Ms. Dearing. You look lovely as always. Sorry to interrupt your dinner."

"Why are you interrupting?" she asked with a forced smile.

"I just wanted to say hello to Ian while he was here. Alan always said how...amusing he was." Dr. Malcolm rolled his eyes, "Such a happy coincidence we're on the island at the same time." Billy shifted into his serious, spokesperson mode, "I'm meeting with park operations tomorrow and needed to confer with InGen staff today."

"Checking up on the Neanderthals working on your pet project?" Dr. Malcolm asked mockingly.

"We're all dedicated to our jobs. Aren't we, Claire?"

"Yes," she responded confidently while hiding sudden alarm. Claire wondered if he knew something about her and Owen. She shuddered on the inside at the thought of Henry gossiping to Billy. Dr. Malcolm gave her a puzzled look.

"This is an extraordinary place," Billy said with sincerity. "Unparalleled entertainment and scientific value. Worlds collide for fun and learning, and everyone is working together to keep it that way. I hope you have a better appreciation of that now." Claire was impressed. The Billy Brennan who had been so reassuring during that first press conference about the raptors just nailed it in person. Dr. Malcolm did not employ a snarky comeback before Billy apologized once more to Claire and excused himself. Their waiter was at the table in a flash to take their orders.

When they were alone again, Dr. Malcolm clicked his tongue and said, "Do you know what that was really about?"

"Enlighten me," she replied.

"I wanted to see them - the raptors - while I was here. InGen denied my request. No one told you?"

"Velociraptor research is outside the purview of park operations. I don't manage those assets."

"You trust the wild men who do?"

Claire rolled her eyes and shook her head, "They are scientists who care deeply about their work. They know their raptors best. They have to protect themselves from danger every day. They keep everyone else safe, too."

Dr. Malcolm clapped, "Bravo, Claire. That was an impassioned plea, the likes of which I haven't heard from you all day." She sharpened her gaze at him. He smirked, "I've been studying you. You like your job. Perhaps, it's the power...the control? But you're not passionate about it. In fact, you're emotionally detached from it. Don't get me wrong. That's a really good thing for your position. John Hammond was too emotionally attached - one of his downfalls - so he lost the forest for the trees...uh...dinosaurs." Dr. Malcolm paused to laugh then added, "There is so much more than the 'Domino's principle' going on with you."

"What is the 'Domino's principle'?" she asked with irritation in her voice.

"Domino's pizza figured out, decades ago, that you always have women answering the phone to take the orders. Customers buy more and are willing to consider more add-ons when women are at the other end of the phone line. It's not sexism; it's good business."

"You think I have my job because I'm a woman?"

"I think it's one of the reasons. I much preferred spending the day with you compared to John Hammond. To your credit, you're excellent at delivering those company lines, but you're not a whore for your employer." Claire knew he was trying to get a rise out of her by using the word "whore." She now understood his strange gaze throughout the day. Dr. Malcolm was testing her and, by extension, the park. The waiter arrived with their appetizers, and Claire felt like a sitting duck. She worried about how to respond to further questions from him. Claire had made a conscious effort to rein in her emotions after his "wild men" remark, but he was too observant. She suddenly wished she had ordered a glass of wine. After several bites of his salad, Dr. Malcolm broke the awkward silence, "Relax, Claire. I don't have an issue with you. I'm just fascinated by you."

"I'm flattered," she deadpanned.

"You are an enigma. Before we met, I assumed that you had some personal investment in Jurassic World. Why else would an attractive, well-educated woman choose to live on this tiny island far away from the comfortable, cosmopolitan, Ivy League world?"

"I am personally invested. I ran the marketing department for three years before I became Senior Assets Manager."

"Ah, well, there's a difference between personal investment and enjoying the rarefied air."

"You find me cold and egotistical."

"I didn't say that," he chuckled, "You did." Claire was getting frustrated and didn't know where he was going with all this. "Claire, to be honest, I think anyone in a position of authority at Jurassic World and InGen is an egotist. You're all flippantly wielding power with little thought to the consequences. How can this park teach humility to guests if its leaders don't possess that quality?" He raised one eyebrow and stared her down while she maintained her stone face.

Their waiter was confused and anxious when he brought the entrees. He whispered nervously, "Enjoy your food," before slinking away quickly.

Dr. Malcolm took a deep breath, "Maybe your emotional detachment is your defense mechanism - to distract you from the difficult questions surrounding this park and your role in it."

"I thought you were a mathematician, not a psychologist," Claire scoffed.

"A high level of abstract thought is required in complex mathematics. It's not so different from making interpretations about human behavior. Plus, one of my ex-wives is a psychiatrist. Her greatest gift to me was validating that humor is a mature defense mechanism. She would probably say that both of us are 'well-defended.'" Claire smiled at him and relaxed a bit. "For what it's worth," he added, "I prefer egotists who are emotionally detached to hotheaded ones. Breaking things is definitely not a mature defense mechanism."

"Oh, c'mon," Claire teased, "I would've thought you enjoyed Henry's office wall getting smashed."

"Yes, I did actually. It's one of the reasons I wanted to meet Owen Grady. He's clearly a passionate guy." Claire shrugged her shoulders and nodded slightly but remained tight-lipped. She reminded herself that it was almost over and hoped that he wouldn't order dessert. They ate largely in silence, and Claire wondered if Dr. Malcolm would try to make another interpretation of her behavior. As he was finishing his meal, he asked almost rhetorically, "The raptors challenge your defense mechanisms, don't they?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's harder to be emotionally detached when such a threat exists. A threat over which you have no control. Sounds like a real disaster for you. I mean, in terms of an internal conflict."

"I manage." Claire was unable to fully dampen the condescension in her voice.

Dr. Malcolm shook his head and smiled, "There you go again, confirming that I stuck a nerve. You must have a complicated relationship with those raptors...or...you're sleeping with Billy." Claire literally bit her tongue to prevent herself from responding. She felt placed in a double bind. Claire couldn't come up with an answer that would allow her to escape this conversation without giving up more information. She audibly breathed out and stared at him blankly. Dr. Malcolm relented, "I'm sorry. It appears I've over-stayed my welcome. Thank you for the lovely day in Jurassic World." Claire stood when he did as a sign of respect. While shaking her hand, Dr. Malcolm pulled in close and whispered, "I won't write about you, but I hope to understand you better someday."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious as to others' thoughts on my depiction of Malcolm and his interactions with Claire. Please let me know. Non-Malcolm feedback is, as always, welcome!


	10. A Separate Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I felt fear's echo, and along with that I felt the unhinged, uncontrollable joy which had been its accompaniment and opposite face, joy which had broken out sometimes in those days like Northern Lights across black sky."  
> ~John Knowles via Gene Forrester

As soon as Dr. Malcolm left the restaurant, Claire called Lowery to track his movements. She wanted to make sure he went to the ferry landing and wondered if he would make any additional stops. Claire drove to the control room after settling the bill, and Lowery confirmed that Dr. Malcolm went straight to the monorail bound for the ferry. They watched him board the ferry on the control room screen. Claire breathed a sigh of relief. Lowery was still upset with himself for not being more articulate around Dr. Malcolm. She reassured him that he should be thankful for not saying much, as Dr. Malcolm was very observant and likely trolling them all for information for his book. Lowery revealed that he almost brought his first edition copy of _God Creates Dinosaurs_ for an autograph. "I appreciate your making a personal sacrifice," Claire told him. "That would have been in poor taste."

She left the control room to meet with Zara in her office. Billy was indeed the "unexpected something" that required her attention in the afternoon. He met with Zara to learn about Claire's dinner plans with Dr. Malcolm. Billy asked Zara not to tell her boss about him in order to "maintain consistency with regard to the limited interactions between velociraptor research and park operations." Claire thought that was bullshit. Billy could've easily requested a personal meeting with Dr. Malcolm during his visit. Claire believed that he chose to interrupt the dinner in order to have an objective, uninvolved witness to his interaction with Dr. Malcolm. It could've gotten ugly between the two men if alone together, and Billy was able to "peacock" in front of them both. Billy had an agenda and was intentionally concealing it from park operations until tomorrow morning, when he would be meeting with Claire and Miranda. InGen PR would also be dialed in. Since Billy had not been on the island physically for more than a year, Miranda was very concerned about what he came to say.

Before heading home for the night, Zara confirmed that Billy met with Henry prior to going to the restaurant. Claire groaned audibly, dreading whatever gossip Henry deigned to share with Billy. Zara seemed too tired to inquire about her boss's reaction, but Claire derailed any possible questions by asking if she was disappointed not to have met Dr. Malcolm. "Not really," Zara said while yawning, "I only regret not seeing Lowery all wobbly." Claire spent another two hours in her office after her assistant left. There was a significant backlog of email and telephone messages from the day as well as necessary preparation for tomorrow's "debriefings" with various departments. It felt good to lose herself in work, but it didn't fully distract her from thinking about Dr. Malcolm's observations and interpretations.

When she was too tired to continue, she logged off the computer and checked her phone. There were no missed calls or messages from Owen. Claire pouted momentarily but then realized that, if the roles were reversed, she would not have contacted him today either. It made her feel understood and validated to believe that he would make the same choice. As she walked to her car, Claire considered calling or texting him from home. Hell, she even considered driving up to the lake. She told herself it was too late and that tomorrow was another big day to get through. Claire frowned, realizing that she often used that excuse not to reach out to people. There was always something. It was always a "big day." She felt even more like a heartless bitch for not responding to his message from the day before.

Owen was leaning against his new "thinking tree" and wondering what happened with Claire, Ian Malcolm, and Billy. He thought that Billy might be a more dangerous snake than those indigenous to Costa Rica. Owen worried that he was wrong and that Claire was, in fact, upset with him for not warning her. He was already feeling insecure about Claire's lack of response to his last text message. It was a big deal for him to admit that he missed her - even more so to put it in writing. The silence he so loved at his new home base was deafening and then suddenly broken by a distant ringtone. "Shit," Owen thought, as he ran back to the trailer to locate his phone. The ringing stopped before he found it. He waited to see if "Red" would leave a voicemail. Owen was immensely relieved when she did and amused by her stammering: "Hi...um...I thought you'd still be awake. You're probably not just...waiting by the phone. I miss you, too. I'm sorry I didn't text that. I...um...preferred to say it...in person." It seemed like she hung up abruptly, and he wondered if she was embarrassed by her rambling. Owen's insecurities melted away, and he called her right back.

"Hi," she answered with a smile evident in her voice.

"Are we walking tomorrow?" he asked in a playful tone.

"Not tomorrow. The day after."

"I don't know, I think I'm gonna be pretty busy on day twelve of my suspension. What's wrong with tomorrow?"

"Anxious, are you?" Owen could hear her laughing on the other end. "I have to catch up on everything tomorrow. I will be in a much better head space on day twelve." He was silent on purpose, to see how she would respond. Claire eventually sighed, "Is that really not okay or are you just enjoying giving me a hard time?"

"You know I like giving you a hard time. Day twelve it is."

"Thank you. Um...so...did you not contact me today on purpose or were you just waiting for me to respond?"

"Those aren't mutually exclusive."

Claire groaned, "Look, I just want to know...did you decide you weren't going to contact me because you didn't want it to change how I behaved around Dr. Malcolm and Billy?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. I would've done the same."

"Are we even now?" Owen teased, "That's two 'thank yous' in this phone call already."

"And here, I thought we were having a moment, not keeping score." Owen could hear the genuine disappointment in her voice, and he realized he went too far for this stage of their relationship.

"Wait, Claire, don't hang up."

"I wasn't."

"I was just kidding around." There was a brief silence before Owen heard Claire laughing again. "What is it?"

Claire caught her breath, "You reminded me of something Dr. Malcolm told me today about humor."

Owen rolled his eyes, "He must've been hysterical."

"Are you jealous?"

"I am jealous he got to spend the day with you." There was silence, and Owen imagined the cute pink flush on her cheeks. "I'll see you on day twelve."

"Good night." Claire hung up, and Owen knew his sleep would be restless until he could see her again.

* * *

Billy was smiling at Claire in an odd way while Miranda dialed InGen PR into the conferencing system. Claire tapped her fingers impatiently on the conference room table. She was glad to be getting this meeting out of the way in the morning.

"We're good to go," Miranda finally announced. Jim from InGen introduced himself over the speaker and deferred to Billy. Billy cleared his throat, " _Time Magazine_ has been in touch with us - meaning InGen and, specifically, velociraptor research - about the cover story they are planning on Jurassic World. Their story is intended to be primarily about how the park has flourished under Claire's leadership, but Owen Grady's outburst has added a new angle to the story that they want to explore."

"You want them to explore it?" Claire interrupted in an accusatory tone.

"With all due respect, Claire, InGen is the lifeblood of Jurassic World. You need us to operate. _Time_ can't write a story about one and not the other. They are going to explore the angle whether we fully cooperate or not." Billy took a deep breath, "Do you know what prompted Mr. Grady's outburst?" He raised an eyebrow at her. Miranda looked between the both of them with confusion.

"I have no idea," Claire answered.

"One of the five raptors is dead." Claire gasped and looked down. She hoped that Billy could tell it was an honest reaction. "It was killed by the other four. No research staff were harmed. Additional InGen staff within the park were summoned to the paddock as a rapid response team to fully subdue, euthanize, and transport the creature to the mortuary. Emergency assistance is authorized per the project protocols, and none of those staff were injured either. The following day, Mr. Grady made a request of Henry that Henry was not obligated to grant. Henry didn't grant the request, angry words were exchanged, and Mr. Grady acted rashly. Every other InGen employee behaved appropriately throughout and handled the situation with aplomb. Aside from Mr. Grady's behavior in the lab, it was a sterling example of InGen's competence and good judgment...that should be recognized and highlighted by _Time_. Even Mr. Grady can be spun in an advantageous way. I believe he was acting out of grief. This makes him extremely relatable and-"

"Human interest," Claire interrupted again with a sigh.

"Yes. I came to Isla Nublar to ask him to talk to _Time_. He previously refused to talk to the press, so I hoped that a personal visit from me would convince him otherwise." Claire scoffed. She knew how that went even without being told by Owen. Billy shot her an annoyed look. "He's wedded to maintaining 'consistency' about his project not being for public consumption. Mr. Grady - and everyone else, frankly - needs to let that go. We have to revisit the 'crowbar separation' between the raptors and the park. I'm not suggesting that we deviate from the project's protocols, but I think that park operations should have an...above-board means of learning about what is happening with the raptors." Claire sharpened her gaze at Billy. He knew something. She wondered if Henry gossiped to him out of spite. Billy smiled at her then deferred to Jim, who announced that InGen risk management had joined the conference. Miranda feverishly dialed Harry to join as well. The disembodied InGen voices presented the idea of quarterly safety and after-action reports from the Research Division to park operations. Division staff would be expected, with input from park operations and risk management, to determine the specific timelines for reporting and how much detail would be contained in the reports. Harry asked how park operations would be expected to respond to such reports, especially if the information raised concerns for park safety. Harry had always maintained an "ignorance is bliss" mantra with regard to the Research Division. This was his primary motivation for the contact prohibition. He made it clear to Claire on numerous occasions that park operations would need to justify their response - or lack thereof - to any knowledge of the goings-on at the raptor paddock. Over the speaker, Harry sounded close to imploding with anxiety.

Claire smiled to herself at the prospect of the contact prohibition being lifted. She recognized the potential headache for her colleagues, but she never fully bought into it anyway. Although Claire was biased and would benefit personally from the change, she firmly believed that transparency and collaboration were ultimately better for the park. As Harry and his InGen counterpart discussed the details, Claire remained silent and couldn't fully conceal her smugness. She locked eyes with Billy, and he was smiling at her. He gestured to the speaker and cut them off, "Okay, fellas, you two need to have a separate conversation. The rest of us need to get back to the immediate situation at-hand." Miranda perked up. Billy continued, "We can all agree that a well-rounded and positive article in _Time_ is best. I'm not getting anywhere with Mr. Grady, and I'm leaving the island today. I'd like Claire to extend the olive branch to Mr. Grady and encourage him to cooperate, at least to some degree, with the _Time_ journalist." Claire's face fell, and she had a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. "I already informed _Time_ that Mr. Grady is on suspension for another few days. Once he is reinstated, they will be contacting him directly." Billy turned toward Claire, "Could we speak privately?" Claire nodded then turned to Miranda, who would wrap things up with those dialing in.

Claire escorted Billy to her office. He shut the door as she leaned against the front edge of her desk and crossed her arms. Billy clicked his tongue, "I always pictured you as a self-sacrificing, dutiful employee. I was pleased to learn from Henry that you are human after all."

"What exactly did Henry tell you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No need to get revved up. It was largely conjecture. He said you've been violating the contact prohibition...for a long time. Henry thinks you're well-matched. How close are you?"

"I don't have to answer that."

"You're right. Will you talk to him about _Time_?"

"It's his choice. I'm not going to use my...position to coerce him." Claire looked down and tried to hide her sadness from him.

Billy breathed out and looked sympathetic, "Look, I never liked the contact prohibition. I understand that you didn't either. I don't view your relationship with him as an act of defiance. I hope it's something genuine, for both your sakes. I was going to ask you to talk to him even before Henry said anything to me. I'm sorry if this puts you in a difficult situation. You could always have Miranda talk to him after he's reinstated." Claire nodded and sat in her chair. Billy wished her well and walked out of her office. Left alone to her thoughts, Claire was torn. An end to the contact prohibition meant honesty and no more sneaking around with Owen. That prospect both excited and scared her.

* * *

Owen arrived at the back parking lot of the resort before dawn. He drove fast, both on account of his eagerness to see Claire and due to finally being medically cleared to ride his bike again. Owen considered waiting outside her door, but he didn't want to get ahead of himself or over-step things as he felt he did on their last phone call. There was also the possibility that she was already at the trailhead. Owen wasn't disappointed to discover that he, once again, arrived before Claire. He very much enjoyed watching her walk down to him on the day of their first walk, with her fair skin and red hair reflecting the dawn in an ethereal way. Owen closed his eyes and tuned into the sounds and smells around him. He was so focused on the jungle that he didn't hear her feet running through the grass. Owen re-opened his eyes when he heard her rapid breathing a few feet away. She was sweating and looked like she might cry. Before he could say anything, Claire wrapped herself around him just as she had in the presenters' closet. Owen hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Did you forget what this felt like?" he teased.

"Never," she whispered, "I just didn't want to skip it." Owen's heart started to race, and his breathing quickened as hers was slowing down. She still owned him, and he wasn't the least bit embarrassed by his Pavlovian response. He swallowed hard, "Do you still want to walk?"

"Yeah," Claire smirked, "Don't you?" In that moment, Owen would've been fine skipping it.

He shrugged, "We're here." When they started walking down the trail, she linked arms with him and leaned her head on his shoulder. Owen's vision practically blurred. He couldn't formulate a sentence and just tried to clear his mind.

Claire thought that walking with Owen was even better the second time. To see and feel him responding to her touch fulfilled her like nothing else. She never understood addiction before but mused that she could become addicted to the way he made her feel. Familiar doubts crept into her mind during their walk. Claire hoped that it wasn't only the verboten nature of their romance that maintained Owen's interest in her. If it was, he might not choose to see her much longer. That fear was on her mind when she ran down the hill to him. As they walked, Claire was uncharacteristically losing confidence. She didn't want to say the wrong thing and scare him off. Silence was lovely, for now.

Owen must've picked up on something and stopped walking. He turned her to face him and asked, "Where are you?" They had almost reached the point in the trail where they needed to turn back.

“With you," Claire answered softly. "That's all that matters." He looked at her with the same possessive smolder she saw before he kissed her at the range.

Owen pinned her against a tree, started kissing her, and moved one of his hands down her body. "I can pay you back right here," he said breathlessly, "or I can pay you back at your place, and we can let things 'evolve.'" He kissed her neck and massaged her mons through her pants. Claire moaned but then pushed his hand off her crotch. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

She sighed, "Are you seeing other women?"

Owen scoffed, "I'm barely seeing YOU." This was not what she wanted to hear. Claire looked at him anxiously. Owen's eyes went wide, and he stumbled over his words, "No, no...you took that the wrong way. I meant...I'm not seeing other women. I haven't had sex with anyone since...you, and...I want to see more of you." Claire relaxed. She hadn't expected to feel so jealous all of a sudden. Owen asked cautiously, "The other day, it wasn't just about avoiding grass stains, was it?"

Claire blushed, "No."

"Geez, Claire, what do you take me for?"

"You know how gorgeous you are. I'd hardly expect you-"

"So, what do you think you are? Homely?" Owen stroked the side of her face and gave her goosebumps.

Claire couldn't look at him and stammered, "No...but I'm not...you're-"

"Stop," he interrupted. "You have no idea how much more turned on I am to hear that you think I'm out of your league."

"It's just that...guys like you...usually aren't interested in me."

"There's no other guy like me." Claire's heart was racing.

She finally looked at him, "I know." There was arrogance in his remark but also a hint of self-deprecation. She felt her desire for him surge. Claire pulled him down into a passionate, wet kiss. His hands were all over her, and his touch felt electric. She paused to take a breath and say, "Let's go to my place. I don't have to work today." Owen's mouth dropped open, and his brow furrowed.

"What are we doing here then?" he asked incredulously. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I wanted to walk with you...and ask you that question first."

"You waited until we were at the furthest point from the trailhead?" Claire started to giggle. She could tell that he wasn't actually mad at her. Owen picked her up and slung her over his right shoulder. Claire squealed and then protested, but only half-heartedly. He eventually put her down and said that he needed to conserve his energy. They walked back to the trailhead - holding hands - at a much faster pace than their leisurely stroll to the trail's end.

Owen held Claire's hand because holding any other part of her body right now would probably cause him to stop the elevator and ravish her inside it. It felt like the longest elevator ride of his life. When the doors finally opened, Claire motioned to the apartment door to the right and said it was Henry's. Owen was glad not to be running into him this morning and hoped the walls weren't too thin. She opened her apartment door, and Owen couldn't believe the size of her place. He was even more embarrassed by the thought of inviting Claire to his trailer than before. Owen noticed that the living area windows faced Northeast. Claire stood next to him and put an arm around his waist. He put his arm around her and pointed out the window, "My paddock is just over that ridge. You could almost see it from here."

"I know," she sighed. "Is that where you are now?"

"Huh?" He looked at her for the first time since they walked into the apartment.

Claire seemed nervous, "You...tensed up and let go of my hand. I thought we weren't going to talk about work." Owen relaxed and pulled her into his arms. He found her even more enchanting when she switched between being aggressive and vulnerable. Claire flushed and spoke fast, "Do you regret coming up here? We could go to your place if you prefer. I don't-" Owen silenced her with a searing kiss. She went limp in his arms for a moment and then matched - if not topped - his intensity. He needed to find the bedroom fast. Then, Owen remembered he owed her one first. He removed her t-shirt and was delighted to discover a zip-front sports bra underneath. "Convenient,” he said with a satisfied grunt. 

Claire helped him pull off his own t-shirt, then he flipped her around, unzipped the bra, and cupped her breasts. She moaned and rested her hands on the back of his neck. Owen kissed her neck as he slid his right hand down her pants. She pressed against him and swayed slightly, so they were both getting worked up. Owen worried he would lose it and tried to hold her still. Claire tugged on his neck a little too hard when she panted, "I'm close."

He whispered in her ear, "I think you're gorgeous, too." That did it. She let go and shuddered into his hand. Owen was gratified to get that response from her and flipped her around to kiss her again. "Where's your bedroom?" he asked softly.

Claire ran her hands down his chest, "Take off your shoes and follow me." Owen hadn't even noticed that she was already barefoot. He quickly removed his boots and socks before chasing her across the apartment.

* * *

Claire rested her head on Owen's right pectoral and distractedly ran her hand across his abdomen. She marveled at his body and didn't want to move ever again. They were both quiet, and Claire wondered if he'd fallen asleep. Like their time before, she was committing everything to memory. Claire was pleasantly surprised by how tender and generous a lover he was. She hoped that he would spend the entire day with her. Claire could not imagine a better way to spend her day off.

"That tickles," Owen said before massaging her lower back with the pads of his fingers.

"That feels nice," she purred. "Will you stay today?"

"Until you kick me out."

"That might be never."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll get on your nerves at some point."

"As long as you stay on my nerve endings, I think we'll be fine." Claire moved up to kiss him, and he rolled one her nipples between his fingers.

"Like that?" he asked.

"Uh-huh." Claire felt like all of her nerve endings were on fire as she climbed on top of him.

* * *

Owen walked into Claire's kitchen to find something to drink. They'd both fallen asleep for a few hours, and he didn't want to wake her by rifling through her cabinets for glassware. Owen was startled to find almost nothing in her refrigerator. He wondered if she ordered room service all the time or just ate like a bird. Owen settled on drinking milk straight from the carton and hoped she didn't mind. When he put it back in the fridge, he felt her arms wrapping around him from behind. Claire planted a few soft kisses on his upper back and teased, "You really are a Neanderthal, aren't you?"

Owen grimaced, "Did Henry...or Billy say that about me?"

"Neither. It was Ian Malcolm."

"Great," he huffed.

Claire smiled, "He also said you were passionate, and I have to agree with that, too." She rested her cheek on his back and took a deep breath.

"How much did you talk about me?"

"Not much. He mentioned you in order to...draw a contrast to me." Owen turned around to look at her and was concerned. Her voice was sad. "He said I was detached and not passionate about my job." Claire looked down, and Owen gently pulled up her chin. She swallowed, "He was unnervingly observant. He noticed that the only time, all day, that I seemed 'impassioned' was when I was defending the Research Division." Hearing this spiked Owen's desire for her. He picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom.

* * *

Claire was enjoying being spooned by Owen until both their stomachs growled. They laughed almost in unison. "What are we going to do about this?" he whispered. "You have nothing to eat."

Claire feigned offense, "I have breakfast foods."

"That's it?"

"It's usually the only meal I have here."

"Even on the weekends?" Claire was embarrassed and answered sheepishly, "The park is open every day. I go into the office seven days a week."

"It's okay," Owen reassured her. "Up until twelve days ago, I lived next to my paddock and worked seven days a week."

"Do you think that's going to change now?" Claire was not only asking because she knew his trailer was moved to the lake. She was asking this question on behalf of them both and in relation to each other.

Owen nuzzled her neck, "Can it?" Claire moaned but then thought he was trying to distract her again.

She cleared her throat and asked firmly, "Hasn't it already?" There was silence, and an absence of movement. Claire wondered if she was being pushy. Maybe it was too soon to "define the relationship." No, she thought, it was not unreasonable to want to know if this was going to be more than just sex.

Owen kissed her shoulder, "Relax, Claire. Remember the day I first asked you out? I watched you sleep on the ferry ride back. You look so peaceful when you're sleeping. You should try to be more like that when you're awake." Claire knew he was right.

She rolled over to face him and ran her hand over his stubble, "Mi admirador barbudo." Owen scrunched his face in confusion. She smiled, "My bearded admirer. It's how Rosa described you that day." As he looked back at her, Claire didn't need more words from him. She already felt cherished. She would let go of her insecurities for now and be in the moment with him. They both clearly needed to establish a healthier work-life balance. Claire could, however, wait a little longer to look for food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter struck the right balance of smut and substance. Please leave me some feedback and let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading.


	11. Time Wounds All Heals

Claire's alarm went off, and she remembered she was alone. She pulled the covers over her head and inhaled deeply. Claire could still smell him. It was going to be difficult to focus on work so soon after their blissful day together. She blushed when thinking about his parting words: "A baker's dozen on day twelve." Claire couldn't convince him to stay, but she understood his preference to leave the building at night rather than the morning. As she got ready, images from the day before flashed through her mind. Claire saw her apartment through different eyes. It seemed empty. His marks were everywhere: the bed, the shower, the kitchen, the sofa, and behind her front door. It was not easy for them to let go of each other. Claire might've never gotten out the door for work today if he'd stayed the night. Addiction, she thought to herself.

Logging into her computer, Claire allowed back into her brain all the thoughts she'd suppressed with Owen. Her vacation day was blissful not only because of the orgasms but because of the break from her increasingly difficult juggling act at work. Save for her admission about her conversation with Dr. Malcolm, they successfully followed through with the plan not to discuss their jobs at her apartment. Claire hadn't said anything to Owen about _Time Magazine_ and was still deliberating whether she should. She wondered if anyone at InGen had spoken to him about the risk management plans for safety reporting. Claire almost broke into a sweat waiting for her email program to load. She groaned at the number of new messages then scanned for the notes Zara had promised to leave her. The _Time_ journalist, Tilda Jeffries, wanted to visit Isla Nublar in two weeks to interview various staff and tour the park herself. Claire did not want to serve as her personal chaperone and hoped that Ms. Jeffries would prefer a solo tour. Miranda wanted to schedule a photo op for Claire for the Indianapolis Children's Museum. Claire shook her head over whether or not this would involve reading to kids again. The last time, she struggled with pronouncing several of the dinosaurs' names, especially Archeornithomimus. Harry wanted to set up a meeting with Owen and InGen risk management after Owen's suspension to discuss safety reporting. He asked if Claire wanted to be present. She did not. Claire took a deep breath and then an idea came to her. She looked at the clock and realized it was before 6am in San Diego.

When Zara arrived shortly after 8am, she brought into Claire's office two gifts: a vase of flowers and a bag from Panera Bread. "The flowers came yesterday," Zara told her. "I kept them in a fridge overnight rather than leaving them on your desk to wilt. Did you order breakfast for a department?" Claire shook her head then bit her lip to prevent herself from busting out into a huge grin. "The slip says thirteen bagels," Zara added quizzically. Claire stifled a laugh. Zara gave her boss a sideways glance, "Have a good day off?"

"Incomparable." Zara's eyebrows went up.

Claire pivoted with a sigh, "Thanks for the notes. Can you look at the calendar for the easiest day for us to have Ms. Jeffries visit the island? Also, can you schedule a very brief phone call with Billy Brennan? Preferably today. You should have his assistant's number." Zara nodded and walked out. Claire opened the card on the flowers. They were from Ian Malcolm, and the card read, "Thanks again. Best of luck with your defense." She grimaced. Claire didn't know if he was making a joke or threatening her. She opened her bag of bagels and discovered that all thirteen were asiago - her favorite. Claire had told Owen that, when there are a dozen bagels at a meeting or event, Panera only includes one or two asiago and other attendees usually get to them first. She gleefully started eating a bagel and wondered what to do with the other twelve.

Owen was reading through project protocols on his laptop when he heard his text tone. One side of his mouth curled up, and he checked the screen: "Red - Thank you, but this is way too many." He chuckled and texted back, "That's not what you said last night." She walked into it. There was a pregnant pause before she responded, "I wish you were here to share them with me." Owen found that texting was an especially poor substitute for talking to Claire and wrote back, "Bring me one at lunch." Surprising Owen, she agreed. He looked around his messy trailer and decided that he needed to clean or set up a blanket for a picnic next to the lake. As he was about to search for a blanket, his phone rang. It was Vic Hoskins, and he was abrupt, "I'm ending your suspension early. Get to the paddock as soon as possible."

It was good to be back at the paddock. Barry and the other division staff had reached their breaking point with the raptors that morning. The pack wasn't following any commands, and they were testing the cage for weaknesses. Blue was behaving like the Alpha and needed to be put back in her place. Owen was the only one who could do it. All of his staff were elated to see him. The raptors were happy, too. Owen was still riding on the high from his day in bed with Claire, so he was euphoric working with the pack again. He knew it would take some time to re-establish the power structure with the four - everyone was still getting used to Omega's absence - but Owen felt ready to focus on training.

When Claire pulled up to the trailer, she knew something was amiss. She didn't see Owen's bike or any other vehicle present. She re-checked her phone for messages from him. Nothing. Claire walked around the trailer and then knocked on the door. Nothing. She breathed out slowly and steadied herself from boiling over with rage. Claire dialed his number and heard his phone ringing inside the trailer. She was momentarily seized with guilt and wondered if he left for an emergency of some sort. The moment passed, and Claire put a hand on the doorknob. It was open. She walked inside and judged its dinginess. Thank God we spent yesterday at my place, she thought. Claire took a bagel out of the bag and left it on the table next to his phone. It was more mature than carving "I was here" on the table top. She locked the doorknob as she left and thought it would serve him right if he couldn't get back in. Claire hesitated to drive off, wanting to believe that he would be right back. Maybe Owen was running an errand or was hurt. She ultimately dismissed these alternatives. The most likely explanation was thoughtlessness. Occam's Razor was something Claire invoked regularly because it was almost always the correct choice.

* * *

"Miss me already?" Billy Brennan teased over the phone.

"Hardly," Claire scoffed, "I'm not going to talk to Owen Grady about _Time_." She paused to let that sink in. After a moment without a response, she continued, "I am not his boss nor do I work for InGen. We're not lifting the contact prohibition just because you can't convince him to speak to the press. There are legitimate, good faith reasons to lift it." She could hear Billy laughing on the other end. "What's so funny?"

"Are you afraid it won't be lifted if you don't talk to him about _Time_?" Claire was stunned. She didn't mean it to come across that way but suddenly wondered if that was her unconscious fear. "Claire, it's going to be lifted as soon as risk management works out the details with him."

She re-centered herself and was calm but stern in her response, "I don't think it's the job of Jurassic World staff - Miranda included - to implore an InGen employee to cooperate with the press."

Billy relented, "Fair point. What do you suggest?"

"Simon."

Billy scoffed, "I think he has more important things to do."

"Really? Because you made it sound like Owen's talking to _Time_ was pretty important to InGen." There was silence again, and Claire knew she caught him. "You can't compel him, can you? There's something in those protocols you alluded to the other day. He's the only one who can okay releasing Research Division information to the media, isn't he?"

"Owen's relationship with the raptors is special. No one else can do what he can do with them. He has the final say in what goes public. InGen has invested far too much in the project to...lose him."

"Or piss him off too much," Claire said smugly. She thought about Billy's shit-eating grin when they first met. It was on her now. "Has Hoskins already talked to him about _Time_?"

"Of course, but Owen doesn't care much for anything that man says."

"Neither do you, it sounds like."

"He's a brute." Billy sighed, "You are shrewd, Claire. Always driving hard bargains. I'll talk to Simon." He paused to laugh softly then added, "Henry is right about the two of you. Quite the pair." Claire demonstrably hung up the phone and sat back in her chair. She was relieved to have that monkey off her back, both in terms of its potential to disrupt her personal life and its potential to further expand her job description. Claire wanted to focus on her actual job before shifting that focus to her interview with Tilda Jeffries. She decided to take the remaining bagels to the control room.

As the sun set, Owen was still happily engrossed in his work at the paddock. He spent several hours that afternoon talking - practically interrogating - his staff about what they observed during his twelve day suspension. Barry kept some notes, but they weren't nearly as detailed as Owen's usual entries for each day. Owen was also correcting things that had gone lax in his absence and generally tidying up the whole area. When the rest of the day crew were long gone, Barry finally asked him, "Where were you yesterday?"

Owen practically blushed, "Busy."

"All day?" Barry smirked.

"Into the night."

"Still not talking much?"

"Nope." They laughed, but Owen suddenly remembered the bagels. He patted himself down to locate his phone and realized he didn't have it. "Oh, shit."

He asked Barry if he could borrow his phone, but Barry refused, "I'm not supporting you staying here any later. You need to go home and get your own phone...especially when you look like that."

"Like what?"

"Guilty." Barry raised an eyebrow, and Owen knew his friend was only half-joking.

Owen sighed, "I stood her up for lunch."

Barry's eyes went wide, "Incroyable."

Owen was surprised to find his trailer door locked. He almost never locked it since he was so isolated there. When he clicked on the light, Owen saw the bagel next to his phone. He groaned in frustration and threw his keys on the counter. He had been hoping that she didn't actually drive out there without confirming he was home. Owen tried to rationalize his boorish behavior by telling himself that she assumed too much, but he knew lunch was his idea. The only missed call from her was at 12:50pm, presumably when she arrived. No texts. Owen didn't know her well enough to predict her reaction. He felt similar to when he sent her the NDA the morning after their first time together, like a buzzkill. Owen looked around his trailer and realized it was a buzzkill in and of itself. He called her, but she didn't answer. He hung up without leaving a voicemail. Owen booted up his laptop to check his work email. Before he left the paddock, Barry told him that risk management and a "few other people" wanted to meet with him once he was reinstated. Owen didn't want to talk about it with Barry or at the paddock. He hadn't checked his email since his suspension started. Owen smiled wistfully at the memory of Claire's shock when he told her that the day before, right after she promised that she wouldn't check her phone or email while he was with her. His inbox was still loading when she called him back. Owen took a deep breath before accepting the call.

"Hey," he said tentatively, "I am really sorry."

"You're okay, then? Not in any danger?" she asked, with ice in her voice. Owen felt even worse. He hadn't considered that he worried her. Now was not the time to tell her how fantastic it had been to be back at work. Owen struggled to come up with something that would minimize his seeming like an asshole. He settled on the truth, "Hoskins reinstated me and told me to get to the paddock stat."

"Oh." There was a long pause, and Owen wished he could see her face. "No one else can do what you can do," Claire finally said.

He swallowed, "Right."

"You love it." Owen felt at a significant disadvantage. She was somehow reading his mind through the phone, but he didn't have the slightest idea what she was thinking or feeling.

He sighed, "We need to talk more...in general."

"I know, just not right now. I'm really tired...and sore." Owen picked up on the change in her tone and felt relieved.

He asked, "You sure you don't want me to come over?" He was only half-teasing. If she said yes, he'd jump on his bike as fast as he did after Hoskins called.

Claire was matter-of-fact, "You want my honest answer?"

"Yes."

"I do want you to come over, to sleep and stay the night." She might as well have hit him in the head with a brick. Owen was not jumping on his bike at this and felt guilty for that. For the second time in five minutes, he had to carefully consider his words to avoid sounding like an asshole. Claire beat him to the punch and sounded defeated, "It's okay. Really. Check your email. Talk to me tomorrow." She hung up before he could respond. Owen felt blind-sided, in a dream, or both. Maybe there was something in his inbox to help him understand what was going on with her. Regardless, he was reminded how messy it can be to have other people in his life. Owen scrolled through the emails, and stopped on a subject line reading: "Proposal for communications with park operations."

* * *

Claire heard commotion outside her door. Zara was telling someone not "barge into" her office. Owen walked in the door with Zara on his heels. "I'm sorry," her assistant said frantically, "He wouldn't listen."

"It's okay," Claire said reassuringly. Owen didn't look angry, but Claire still couldn't read him well.

Zara looked at her boss with concern, "Do you want me to leave the door open?"

"No," Owen and Claire demonstrably said in unison. Zara cringed then shut the door behind her. Claire stood and walked toward Owen. He moved swiftly, but she put up a hand just as he was inches away from her.

"Not at work," she whispered. Her heart was pounding, and he was breathing hard.

"I understand boundaries," he smirked. "I just wanted to get close enough to smell your coconut body wash again. I can't smell it on me anymore." Claire whimpered slightly as she took a deep breath. Owen's tone shifted to being serious, "I hope it's actually okay that I stopped by after my meeting with Harry."

"You must not have something better to do," she answered bitingly.

"You're still upset about lunch." Owen took a step back from her. "I said I was sorry. What do you want from me?"

"To feel important to you. The bagels were very sweet, but...I need more than that." Owen took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed her palm. Claire closed her eyes and shuddered.

"I chose to be with you on the night of the hatching," he said softly.

Claire opened her eyes, "Were you choosing me or sex?"

"That's what this is about," he sighed and continued to hold her hand. "Look, I didn't...last night...I'm sorry." Owen shook his head and looked away from her. "I'm not good at this part."

"You're really good at the other part," she said while stepping toward him.

Owen looked up and clicked his tongue, "Who's distracting who now?"

"You've been trying to distract me since you barged in." She squeezed his hand. "I'm not good at this part either." Claire leaned against the front edge of her desk.

Owen mirrored her position next to her and kept hold of her hand, "Did you know on your day off?"

"What specifically?"

"That the contact prohibition was being lifted."

"Yes. Billy made it seem like it was his idea. He told me a few other things, too." Owen nodded. She imagined that he could guess and continued, "I wanted to talk about it, but we promised not to, and...you already told me you didn't want to talk about it when I came to the lake."

"That means a lot to me." He kissed the back of her hand. "I'm still not ready to talk about that, period. As for the contact prohibition ending, I'm working out the details with risk management. Harry and I both want as little divulged as possible. He wanted your input."

"I trust you."

"That also means a lot to me." Owen cleared his throat, "We need to talk about something else... _Time_." Claire took a sharp intake of breath and was certain he could feel her pulse speeding up as he held her hand. "InGen wants me to do an interview. If I'm not talking about it with you, I'm sure as shit not talking about it with the press." He took a deep breath, "Billy thinks it will damage the park if I don't tell my side of the story. Do you?"

"Do I what?" she asked with trepidation. Owen wasn't born yesterday nor was he personally unfamiliar with being in the media spotlight. He knew as well as Claire that information can be spun in many different directions. At the same time, Owen's words from their first meeting echoed in her head: "We won't cause the park any trouble." Claire wondered if or how their relationship impacted his baseline concerns about the project's effect on the park.

Owen clarified, "Do you want me to talk to _Time_?"

"No."

"Really?" Owen seemed genuinely surprised. Claire was reminded yet again of how little they knew each other.

She almost scoffed, "Yes. If you're not ready to talk, you shouldn't talk under duress or obligation. Unless you're a slick politician, that's likely more dangerous than silence."

He smiled at her, "I was thrown by your being so definitive. During our first conversation about the article, you seemed on the fence to unhappy about it."

Claire bit her lip then answered, "I'm still very conflicted about it. I should be flattered, but I can't control how it's executed. There are so many variables. I focus on negatives, even when things are 95% positive. It's kind of my job."

Owen squeezed her hand, "I focus on negatives, too. I think it's good defense."

She laughed, "Oh, God, you did NOT just say that."

"What?" Owen asked. Claire raised an eyebrow and motioned toward the flowers on her desk. "I was ignoring those," he said bitterly. His apparent jealousy made Claire blush.

"No," she said while lightly and quickly tapping her head against his shoulder, "Read the card." Owen groaned and stood to pull the card.

He scowled while reading it then looked up at her, "These belong in the trash. He's a dirtbag."

Claire rolled her eyes, "He might be making a joke, referencing something he said to me that day...I hope."

"Best case scenario, it's a backhanded compliment then." Owen picked up the vase and dropped it in her trash can.

"Owen!" she gasped then glared at him. He put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows. Claire walked up to him until their faces were almost touching and whispered seductively, "I don't know if I should be offended or turned on right now."

"I can end that conflict for you," he said, licking his lips. "If you let me cross a boundary." Owen ran his hand down her arm and gave her goosebumps.

Claire panted, "We'd end up making a mess, and PR is going to be here in five minutes."

"Rain check then." He started walking toward her door.

She mewled and caught one of his hands, "When?"

"I don't know," he teased, "I have a lot of catching up to do." She frowned at him. "This weekend," Owen smiled, "I promise." Claire breathed out slowly watching him leave.

Miranda was right on time and knocked on the door moments later. She was aghast, "Wow, Claire, you don't waste any time. Glad to see you're on top of the situation with Mr. Grady." Claire smiled to herself and hoped she'd be back on top soon.

* * *

Owen thought he was teasing Claire about playing catch up, but he quickly discovered that there was a lot to do. When he returned to the paddock, he had already received the updated proposal for safety reporting to park operations. Jurassic World and InGen Risk Management requested that the reporting be retroactive since the raptors moved from the lab nursery to the paddock. Owen felt that they were trying to rewrite history and pretend like the contact prohibition wasn't their idea in the first place. He was relieved that Harry only wanted brief reports on incidents that involved island employees not specifically assigned to the Research Division. Owen's injury would, of course, fall into this category since Dr. Staley had been called to the paddock. He was prideful about revealing things to others that might bring his competence and judgment into question. Owen had repeatedly analyzed his outburst in the lab and believed it was influenced by Dr. Malcolm's then imminent visit. Henry bringing up Dr. Malcolm during their "spirited" discussion was akin to rubbing salt in a wound. Owen viewed Dr. Malcolm as a sort of mental terrorist since making his comments about NMMP after the raptors hatched. As much as Owen outwardly told himself and his staff not to worry about it, Dr. Malcolm's remarks had seeded in his brain and been growing like a cancer for months. Owen did, however, admit to himself that Dr. Malcolm was an easy target for his anger.

Though he was uncomfortable with people knowing too many details about his work, he was even more protective of the details of his personal life. Owen's desire for privacy closed him off to others most of the time, but he felt that was a small price to pay. He didn't have much faith in humanity, and data reinforcing that belief seemed to mount every day. Wanting Claire in his life challenged Owen on multiple levels. He wished to reduce the number of variables in the situation. Chief among them, he wanted Henry's comments about the two of them to stop. Henry provoked Owen with those comments in the lab, and it was endlessly unnerving to imagine Henry gossiping about it when Owen was not around to hear. He made a conscious choice not to ask Claire if Billy knew anything about their relationship. Truth be told, Owen wasn't entirely comfortable using that word to describe what he shared with Claire. He felt squeezed by her today but recognized that wasn't entirely fair. Now that the contact prohibition was being lifted, Owen would no longer have a concrete reason to delay his promise to take her out on a date. Some days, he wished he never asked her out; and other days, he was blindingly jealous of Barry and Genevieve's happiness.

For the time being, Owen would sift through his records, largely in the form of "shadow files," intended for research purposes only, and in his own shorthand. It would take time and effort to convert them into something presentable to others. Owen always intended to publish, but he didn't see that happening for a long time and was protecting himself from leaks, hacks, or outright theft of his work. He reviewed all the project protocols during his suspension so that no one - especially Henry or Billy - could surprise him about what belonged to him and what didn't. As long as Owen was an InGen employee, InGen couldn't share information about the project to the public without his express consent. He had no current intention to speak to Tilda Jeffries or anyone else from the media. Claire's support on that matter felt better than he cared to admit.

Claire felt exhausted but happy wrapping up the day's details and prepping for tomorrow. It was a productive day both personally and professionally. She didn't want to get ahead of herself, but - for the first time in a long time - she allowed herself to think about that proper date with Owen. Claire still wanted the Tilda Jeffries visit out of the way first. She only had so much mental energy to expend, and a _Time_ cover story was justifiably a big deal. Claire wondered, however, if she could squeeze in a few more dawn walks or "consultations" in the meantime.

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of a new email message. She groaned and chastised herself for not logging out sooner. Claire wasn't the type who could look away without checking, as that would only cause her anxiety. Her pulse raced when she saw the email titled "Your savvy is needed" from Simon Masrani's assistant, Ravi. She knew this email would cause her anxiety regardless. It was, at least, brief. Ravi related that Billy Brennan asked Mr. Masrani to speak with the Research Division about providing a statement for the _Time Magazine_ article. Mr. Masrani would be on vacation in Sri Lanka for the next three weeks and unavailable for such a discussion. Ravi said that Mr. Masrani had full confidence in Claire's business savvy and wanted her to reach out to the division on his behalf. Claire cursed herself for coming up with the idea to involve Simon. She was suddenly very glad that Rosa already took out her trash. Otherwise, Claire might have hurled that vase of flowers across the room.


	12. No Man Is An Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No man is an iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." ~John Donne

Owen didn't go to the trailhead this time. He knew which door was Claire's now and chose to wait there instead. He decided that there would be no garden-walking today. Owen had been working even longer days than usual at the paddock since coming off suspension and needed a release. He didn't know how much time they'd have and didn't want to waste it. Owen jumped when the door handle started to move. He felt nauseated and leaned back against the wall when Henry stepped out the door.

"You don't look happy to see me," Henry taunted. "You must not be here for me. I'm so disappointed."

Owen cocked his head to one side, "Let's pretend we didn't see each other here."

Henry shrugged his shoulders and smiled, "That works well for me." Owen looked at Henry suspiciously as the older man got into his car. The car was out of view by the time Owen startled once again at the door opening.

From the moment they locked eyes, Claire knew they wouldn't be walking this morning. She almost lost her breath. Owen was looking at her in a way that could only be described as "wantonly." The dawn light seemed to form a halo around his Adonis-like body. Even after their sex marathon, this moment was the one most reminiscent of a romance novel. Claire was okay with skipping the walk and delaying what she needed to say to him. She likely would've procrastinated on talking anyway. They didn't need words now. Claire held open the door, and Owen followed her back to the elevator. He stood behind her with his arms around her waist. She thought he seemed more relaxed than the last time they rode in the elevator together. As soon as they were inside her apartment, Owen's hands were all over her. Her knew her body now and was able to get her going almost artfully. Claire had only slept with a handful of men, and Owen definitely paid the most attention to what she liked. This morning, she felt like an instrument that he was playing with great skill. Claire did her best to make him feel the same way about her.

Owen felt gratified to have exhausted Claire and enjoyed watching her sleep. She had the smoothest, most beautiful skin he had ever touched. Her long, red hair fell in soft waves and smelled like lavender. Barry was wrong this time. Sex with Claire was just as good after the contact prohibition had been lifted and maybe better as they learned each other's bodies. Owen wished that life could be as simple as this authentic moment. It was Sunday morning, but he still planned to go to the paddock to work with his raptors. Owen considered sneaking out while Claire slept to avoid a difficult conversation. He stayed, partly, out of fear of not being invited back. It was hard to admit that, mostly, he stayed because he wanted to. Owen still didn't know exactly what he wanted from Claire. He didn't share his life with anyone and always thought that was best. Women he dated in the past told him he was afraid of commitment. Owen thought that was a cliché, something women told themselves to feel better when relationships didn't work. He had never known a woman who made him believe that compromising his own needs was necessary. Until now. Owen had been considering and making compromises for Claire practically since the day they met. It was exhausting and uncomfortable, so he wondered why he was still doing it.

Claire opened her eyes and reached out to him, "Sorry I fell asleep. How long was I out?"

He pulled her into his side, "About an hour. You need to eat more - for stamina."

"You make me lose my appetite for food." Claire paused to take a deep breath then asked hesitantly, "Were you planning to go to work today?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yes, but just a few hours." Claire didn't want to push him today. She hoped he would spontaneously suggest a meet-up later. If he didn't, it would make it easier for her to mention the email from Ravi. Owen remained silent, and Claire was happy she couldn't see his facial expression. She sighed, "I have to talk to you about something." Claire pulled the sheet around herself and sat up to face him. She held his hand and stammered, "Simon Masrani wants me to use my 'business savvy' to...convince the Research Division to...give a statement to _Time_."

"Wow," Owen said while staring into the space in front of him, "I guess that makes you chief liaison to the media, investors, and me."

"I meant what I said to you the other day. I don't think you should talk to _Time_."

He turned to look at her and was angry, "Then, why are you bringing this up? I thought you didn't like doing Simon's bidding? I thought you wanted to focus on your actual job." He pulled his hand away from her.

Claire's breathing started to heave, "I was trying to be honest with you...telling you what they're asking me to do...the position I'm being put in."

"Just do what you know is right."

"Sometimes, I don't even know anymore."

"That's fucked up, Claire."

"I realize that." She paused to take a deep breath. "He's my boss."

"So what? You still have to be able to say no or, at least, think for yourself. Otherwise, you could to end up going along with something very wrong." Owen stood up and started to get dressed. Claire didn't know what to say to make him stay. She felt paralyzed. He was right. Claire had long recognized needing a confidante to talk with about these things, someone to give her feedback just like Owen was giving her. She wanted it to be him. After Owen put on his shirt, he turned to face her. Claire still couldn't read him. He looked angry or sad or both. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was trembling. Before she found her words, Owen said, "I don't think we should see each other again until after the Tilda Jeffries visit is over."

Claire felt punched in the stomach and gasped, "What? No. That is the exact opposite of what I need."

Owen wouldn't look at her as he responded, "It's what I need." She wasn't going to beg him to stay or to take back what he said. Claire was paralyzed once again. She didn't watch him leave. She wouldn't allow herself to cry after she heard the door shut behind him.

* * *

Owen knew he had been more gruff with his staff all week. When Barry asked if he was okay on Monday, Owen blamed it on the retroactive safety reporting and, very legitimately, being "nagged" about _Time Magazine_. By Friday, Barry was clearly concerned about his friend's persisting irritability. He waited until most of the day crew had gone home to confront him, "Owen, what's really going on with you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he replied without making eye contact.

Barry rolled his eyes, "You never do. It doesn't mean you shouldn't talk about it. What's happening with Claire?"

"Nothing," he answered matter-of-fact.

"Her decision?"

"No. Mine." Barry made a disapproving face. Owen was defensive, "She's all twisted up over the _Time_ interview. She's, frankly, all twisted up in general. I don't want to talk to her until after Tuesday."

"When I'm all twisted up about something, it helps to talk about it with Genevieve."

"How nice for you," Owen shot back sarcastically.

"It is really nice. She's been encouraging me all week to reach out to you. I can tell you're hurting."

"Back off, Barry. Claire and I are just fucking, and I'm hard up at the moment." Owen was hoping to shut him down with this. He'd been repeating this line to himself all week to justify his irritability. The repetition wasn't making it true.

Barry stared blankly at him for a moment then spat back, "Go sleep with someone else on the island this weekend then. Problem solved." Barry stalked off in the direction of his vehicle. Owen rubbed his forehead and breathed out. He wanted a drink. Alcohol might help him forget that what he most wanted was Claire. It would also help to shake the feeling that he let her down.

Claire had been waiting all week for Owen to send his safety reports. She needed to review and have them memorized before her interview with Tilda Jeffries. Claire felt like he was drawing it out on purpose, punishing her further. Zara left early that day due to having a big weekend planned with Jacob. They were spending the night on the mainland and having dinner at a new Malaysian restaurant in town. Claire felt lonelier than ever. She spent more time in the control room that week than she had in months. It made Vivian and Lowery anxious. More time in the control room during the day meant longer hours in the evening. It kept Claire's mind occupied. When she didn't have specific tasks to do, she ruminated on Owen's words of warning. It was very poor timing to be questioning her decision-making capabilities. Claire looked at her clock. It was nearly 8pm, and still nothing from Owen.

Tilda Jeffries planned to arrive on the island Monday evening after meeting with Billy in San Diego. Billy would "smooth things over" in the absence of Owen allowing InGen to release specifics about the project. He would call Claire immediately afterward to report on their conversation. Ms. Jeffries was staying at the resort Monday night and planned to spend the majority of Tuesday touring the park and meeting with various staff. Her interview with Claire was the last item on the agenda. Best for last, Claire thought to herself, after all the ammunition is gathered. Miranda emphasized to Claire that the park had no way of knowing whether Ms. Jeffries was interviewing Ian Malcolm prior to the visit. Everyone had to operate under the assumption that Dr. Malcolm already gave a statement to her. More importantly, park operations and InGen had to be on the same page. Claire was dreading her Monday meeting with Henry. He wanted to touch base with her after Billy's call. It would be the first time Claire and Henry spoke since Owen's outburst in the lab.

As if on cue, Owen's email pinged on Claire's screen. She steeled herself to read the reports. Claire was relieved to see that there were only four. She shook her head and wondered what took him so long. Claire felt she was worrying for nothing. The first two were minor night shift accidents that required response from on-call medical staff. The raptors were not involved. The third was Owen's injury. Despite its intentional brevity, that report was hard for Claire to read. It read as if he put himself at unnecessary risk. She was right to tell Dr. Malcolm that Owen cared deeply for his raptors. She remembered Owen describing that particular raptor as "feisty" - frightening was the more appropriate word to her, especially in the context of hearing Zara's account of Jacob's response. Claire knew Owen minimized the severity of his scratches in the write-up. The description didn't seem to match his level of discomfort the next day or the scars she'd seen and felt. The final report was the longest and, by far, involved the greatest number of non-division staff. She was startled to learn that the raptor who was killed by its siblings was the same one who injured Owen. Claire felt relieved it was dead and not around to hurt him or anyone else ever again. She sat back in her chair and wished Owen trusted her enough to confide in her. Regardless of how he left her apartment, she wanted to comfort him. Claire was still mad at him but was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Grief is, after all, an intensely personal process.

It took Owen almost an hour to hit the send button. He procrastinated on emailing the reports all week. The agreement with risk management and PR was that, if asked by Tilda Jeffries, Claire could reveal number of incidents, the number of non-division staff involved in each incident, and whether or not there were injuries inflicted by the raptors. To his relief and chagrin, Owen's injury was the sole reportable one. He consulted with InGen legal regarding the day shift technician incident. The Research Division was not obligated to report it due to their separate contract with the mainland med evac helicopter team and the legal stipulations of the settlement with the technician. Owen downed a shot of tequila, stared at his laptop screen, and considered calling Claire. It would be professional courtesy to speak with her about the reports, and he knew full well she was still in her office right now - her activity icon was green on the company software. Personally, he didn't know if she'd be receptive to hearing from him. Owen had enough distance and time to know that he spoke prematurely and out of anger. He had the sobering feeling that he might push Claire away before figuring out what he wanted them to be.

* * *

Claire walked into Henry's office with confidence. "Tilda Jeffries had very little to say or ask of Billy."

"That's not surprising," Henry scoffed, "He's only peripherally involved. Billy's not the story. She probably figured he'd contact us, too."

"You're a real ray of sunshine." Claire rolled her eyes and took a seat opposite him. "Will you still contact me after your interview with her?"

"Of course, Claire, I am a gentleman. Unlike someone else we know." Henry smiled deviously but then picked up on Claire's expression and body language. He softened and looked at her with concern, "Did he break something of yours?" Claire's brow furrowed, and she swallowed.

She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "He's...um...maintaining consistency with the limited information-sharing." Claire felt relieved to say that out loud. Henry's cryptic talking style had rubbed off on her after all this time.

He nodded in understanding and moved on, "Did Ms. Jeffries say anything to Billy about Dr. Malcolm?"

Claire responded nervously, "Yes. When Billy described Owen as a 'man of conviction,' she told him that Dr. Malcolm described me the same way."

Henry laughed, "Ms. Jeffries will find it difficult to connect the two of you further.

"You connected us pretty easily."

"He's not as good at hiding it as you are." Claire blushed. Henry's smile was warm and genuine, "Don't prove me wrong now. It could be one of the reasons he's not talking to her. You are, after all, the focus of the story."

"Am I still?"

"Did she ask Billy questions about you?"

"Yes. She asked if I collaborated well with InGen and what he thought about my leadership skills."

"He sang your praises, I'm sure."

"Why did you tell him?" Claire asked harshly.

Henry raised his eyebrows, "Billy asked me if you had any weaknesses or liabilities. It was the only thing I knew."

"That was private information."

"It's relevant." They stared at each other. Claire knew he was right and shrugged in concession.

"Did you tell anyone else?" she asked nervously.

"No," he answered with sincerity, "Scout's honor." Claire nodded in thanks then stood to leave. "I wish you the best, Claire, professionally and personally."

"I appreciate your support, Henry."

Owen was restless. He finally broke down and called Claire, but she didn't answer. Twenty minutes later, the same result. He debated a third try. Even if she was screening him out, Owen could work up the nerve to leave her a voicemail. He regretted not calling her over the weekend. He wanted her to know he was thinking about her and that he cared about her, tonight and in general. Owen decided to busy himself with grocery shopping at the island's commissary. Wandering somewhat aimlessly, he suddenly caught a whiff of that very pleasant combination of coconut and lavender. Owen relaxed then peered around the end of the aisle. Claire's hair was still wet, and she was wearing pajama pants. She did not look relaxed while perusing junk food. He walked two aisles away and redialed her number. Claire answered after two rings.

"What?" she asked with apparent irritation and fatigue.

"You didn't screen me out," Owen said with surprise.

Claire sighed, "You wore me down."

"That stuff's bad for you," he teased, "You should go to the breakfast foods aisle."

Claire gasped then practically snarled at him, "Someone recently told me to think for myself, so I'll get what I want." She hung up on him. Standing next to the cereals, Owen figured she wouldn't be heading in his direction. He walked to the front of the store and saw her paying at the self check-out.

Claire leaned against the outside wall of the commissary in the shadows with a view of the exit doors. She saw him walk out and stare into the dark parking lot. She had a very strong urge to throw a soup can at his head. Claire was confused professionally and personally. As the day had progressed and especially after her meeting with Henry, she was relieved that she wasn't going to see Owen until the Tilda Jeffries visit was over. Claire was extremely anxious about the interview, and none of her usual coping mechanisms - showering, herbal tea, Wes Anderson movies, U2 albums - were helping her unwind. Owen seemingly stalking her had her further rattled. She didn't know what to make of his mixed signals. Confronting him couldn't make it worse, could it? Claire decided she'd regret it later if she didn't talk to him. She stepped out of the shadows and started walking toward him. Owen didn't see her and walked toward his bike. She called his name right before he put the key in the ignition. He looked at her sorrowfully. Claire had never seen him look this way. It worried her. She lost her nerve to yell at him and sighed, "Let's talk in my car."

Owen was quiet for almost a full minute in the passenger's seat. Claire finally said, "So, a week ago, you don't want to see me; now, you're following me?"

He groaned, "I swear to God, tonight was a coincidence. Last weekend, I was angry. I meant it at the time, but it was selfish. I'm sorry." Like many other moments with Owen, there was so much Claire could choose to say. She just didn't know if she trusted him enough to reveal that much of herself. She felt he didn't trust her enough to be very open about himself, but she was getting more from him with time.

Claire took a deep breath, "Outside of my job, I have no one to rely on, and no one relies on me. Most of that is on me. I can be very selfish." She paused and bit her tongue. She was resolved not to cry in front of him. "I want to be able to count on each other when the chips are down. If that's not something you want, too, then...then, there's no point." Claire almost choked on her words. She would never have chosen this night for this conversation, but perhaps it was the night it needed to happen. Owen was her weakness, and that was only acceptable to her if she was his.

"Yes," he whispered, "I want that, too." Claire relaxed and smiled at him. She was suddenly very shy about her disheveled appearance and ran a hand through her damp hair. As if reading her mind, Owen said, "You still look beautiful to me, and you smell amazing." He kissed her cheek then added, "Tomorrow is going to be fine. Get some sleep." Claire watched him get on his bike with a mixture of relief and frustration. Baby steps, she reminded herself, at least he didn't say no.

* * *

Owen was running late for work after a restless night. He would've slept better if he'd stayed with Claire or, at least, messed around with her in the car. Running from her felt like the right decision in the moment, but the moment passed quickly. Taking a cold shower didn't help his guilty conscience or make him feel like less of an idiot. As he drove like a bat out of hell to the paddock, Owen thought about all the ways he could make it up to Claire in the bedroom. Hoskins was waiting for him and looking impatient.

"Nice of you to show up," Hoskins sneered sarcastically, "It's as if you don't care at all about today.

"This day holds no special meaning for me," Owen replied with a stone face.

Hoskins rolled his eyes, "I'm giving you one last chance to change your mind. After Tanaka and I give Ms. Jeffries a tour of the ACU HQ and range, she's having lunch with Meyers. You have my permission to crash that lunch."

"Is this about me talking to _Time_ or ruining Meyers' lunch?"

"Kills two birds with one stone."

"No," Owen said while walking away from his boss. Hoskins followed closely after him toward the paddock and spoke more softly, "Look, morale is low right now...in your division and ACU. Lighten up on the guys here. It's not their fault." Owen still blamed himself for Omega's death, but he was aware of his being more harsh at work since his return from suspension. He had several reasons to take out frustrations on others.

"Fine," Owen relented, "I'll dial it down. What's going on at ACU?"

Hoskins scoffed, "Claire Dearing's been riding them hard for the past few weeks with safety exercises, code drills, and giving them shit for minor mistakes. Someone needs to ride her hard."

"You're disgusting." It took all of Owen's willpower not to deck Hoskins.

"I wouldn't mind doing the honors, but I'm thinking she swings the other way." Owen could barely stomach this conversation but didn't want to add to it and potentially give something away. He simply let Hoskins ramble as he had on the night they met her. "Lee struck out with her, and Henry Wu says several of his guys were rejected, too." Owen knew Hoskins wasn't trying to bait him by mentioning Henry, but he wondered why his boss would even be talking with Henry. Hoskins looked at his watch, "Speaking of, I gotta get over to the lab." He tapped Owen on the chest and teased, "I'll put in a good word for you." Owen didn't care to visit the lab ever again, but he was happy to know that Henry hadn't gossiped about him to Hoskins.

"That dress is stunning, Claire," Vivian said. "New for the interview?"

Lowery turned his chair toward his boss and quickly looked her up and down, "No, you've worn that once before. Good choice though." Claire was happy that Lowery couldn't place it exactly in time. She hadn't worn the green dress since the day of the raptor hatching - as if it were too special to put on again. The _Time_ photographer accompanying Tilda Jeffries had emailed recommendations for Claire's wardrobe, in terms of what would photograph well, and the dress seemed to fit the bill. The dress also conjured memories that helped her feel more relaxed and confident. Claire complimented Vivian's outfit then turned her attentions on Lowery.

"Is that the same thing you wore for Dr. Malcolm's visit?" she asked knowingly.

"It's the only dress shirt I own," Lowery answered sheepishly. Vivian giggled.

Claire shook her head and said, "See you in a few hours," as she walked to the elevator.

Claire wasn't entirely comfortable staging photographs in her office, but she didn't think it was appropriate to have the photographer, Ben, in the control room. She'd never previously been photographed alone - it was always group shots or candids of her reading to children. Past photographs had also not involved the hair and makeup team that Miranda arranged for the occasion. Ben commented on how perfect the dress looked and compared it to "dinosaur skin." He gave Claire silly prompts like, "look pensive" and "show me your focus." He rarely asked her to smile and took a lot of profile shots. Tilda Jeffries texted Ben to ask him to bring Claire down to the lab. She wanted a few photographs of Claire and Henry together. Ms. Jeffries was scheduled to finish her interview with Henry then accompany Claire to the control room.

Tilda Jeffries greeted Claire kindly in the lab. Claire was not intimidated by the mousy and unassuming woman. As Ben and Tilda discussed photos, Henry whispered to Claire, "Someone's going to be disappointed to have missed seeing you in this dress again and so glamorous."

She laughed then asked, "Do I have anything to worry about?"

"I don't think so. It's not a puff piece, but it's not an exposé. He doesn't have anything to worry about either. After I told her that I didn't feel threatened by him, she didn't ask me any more about him." Claire was thanking him when they heard a flash and shutter click.

"That'll be a nice candid," Tilda smirked. "You two seem to have a good rapport."

Claire responded somewhat tensely, "It's essential that we support each other."

"And give each other honest feedback," Henry added in a calming tone. He was reminding Claire to relax.

* * *

Owen was inspecting the hydraulic harnesses in the cage when Barry came by to say goodnight. They talked briefly about supply orders and their dislike of Hoskins. Barry commented that Owen seemed more relaxed today.

"I talked to her last night," Owen revealed.

"Just talked?" Barry teased.

"I also kissed her on the cheek." Barry grimaced. "I know, I know, but we were in the commissary parking lot."

"You don't like PDAs or are you not ready to be out in the open together?"

"Both."

"Get over it...and call her." As Barry walked away, Owen got out his phone and dialed.

"I was just about to call you," Claire answered giddily. "Are you home or at the paddock?"

"You sound happy," Owen said with a smile.

"I am ecstatic. C'mon, where are you?"

"Where do you want me to be?"

"The suitable for work answer to that question is 'home.'" Owen and Claire were on the same page. He considered toying with her further but more so wanted to be inside her.

"I'll race you to my place," he said before ending the call. As he put away his phone, Owen realized that Blue was looking at him through the bars of the cage. "Don't be jealous," he said to her. "We both like chasing after lavender."

Owen barely had time to change out of his work clothes before he heard Claire's tires outside his trailer. He stood in the open doorway to watch her get out of the car. His jaw dropped when he saw her, wearing his dress. Her hair was down and slightly curled. Under the trailer's exterior lights, Claire looked like a modern Aphrodite. She smiled devilishly and slowed the pace of her walking toward him. Owen was still speechless - looking her up and down - as she stepped into the trailer and shut his door. She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into a fiery kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and made an effort to slow her down. Owen wanted to savor her in this dress longer than the last time she wore it. It suddenly occurred to him that being with Claire felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. The next two chapters are the longest, and the final chapter is a briefer Epilogue.


	13. Flames to Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my toughest chapter to write. I knew it was coming. No way to avoid it.

Claire arrived at her office late. She didn't care. Yesterday had been a tremendous success and ended in such a divine way that she felt on top of the world. Zara wasn't sitting at her desk, so Claire sent her a text that she was in her office. She noticed that Zara seemed distracted the last couple of days but chalked it up to the Tilda Jeffries visit. Now that it was over, Claire was annoyed by her MIA assistant. Zara sprinted into the office moments later and shut the door behind her. Claire looked up at her dismissively until she saw it: a shimmering, ice skating rink of a diamond on Zara's left hand.

"You're engaged," Claire said while her lips reluctantly formed a smile. She felt the muscles in her cheeks fight against it.

"Yes!" Zara exclaimed with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I've been dying to tell you, but things have been so busy and you've been so stressed. I didn't want you to think my focus was not on Tilda Jeffries and operations."

"How long?"

"Jacob asked me Friday night at the Malaysian restaurant. The place is called Temple of Love - perfect right? Oh my god, the food was amazing. The cocktails were fantastic. The ambience..."

Claire kept her eyes wide and nodded her head as if hanging on Zara's every word, but she was really having an out of body experience. Claire felt as if she had drifted to the ceiling and was looking down at Zara as she rambled on about their romantic weekend. Jacob. The man whom Zara initially dismissed as a sexual predator. How was he capable of this? This intimate and personal plan? Zara was over-sharing just a tad but was obviously overcome by Jacob's thoughtfulness. "He just...gets me," Zara gushed while Claire was snapping back to reality. "I didn't have to tell him anything - he knew. I feel like the luckiest woman on the planet. I love him so much." Zara took a deep breath and admired her ring before looking expectantly at her boss.

Claire started to feel tears forming in the corners of her own eyes, "I'm so happy for you." She meant it. Her night suddenly seemed much less divine than it had ten minutes before.

Claire was still somewhat dazed as she walked down to the lab to meet with Henry. He sent her an email indicating that the meeting had nothing to do with _Time Magazine_. He poured her tea after she sat down. The door slid shut, as usual.

"I have very exciting news," he began. "We had a breakthrough. I've been trying to pioneer genetic hybridization for two years, and it finally worked."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I thought the assets already were hybrids. You've been filling in gaps in their DNA from the beginning."

"Very true, but I've never been able to stabilize the DNA strand with large portions of genetic material from more than one dinosaur. Until now." Henry paused to motion toward the amber on his desk. "I found that there were limits to the manipulation of the genetic material extracted from the mosquitoes. When I extracted genetic material from the stem cells of adult dinosaurs, those limits stretched."

A realization dawned on Claire, and she leaned back in her chair. She took a deep breath, "The tissue samples...from the carnivores. Henry, what have you made?"

He grinned broadly, "The grandest predator the world has ever known."

"What will you call it?" she asked with a mix of excitement and alarm.

"That glory, I thought we could share - involve the children and focus groups." Henry raised his tea cup. "Cheers, Claire, to limitless collaborations." Her facial muscles contorted into a smile with the same resistance they gave to Zara's announcement. As they clinked cups, Henry added, "You'll need to start working with the engineers immediately for paddock construction based on my predictive models for her size and capabilities."

Owen was working on zero sleep. Shortly after Claire went home the night before, he was called to the paddock for an emergency. The raptors had almost climbed to the top of the central support pillar for the catwalks. The division's ACU troopers had to stun Charlie and Echo. The pack was more defiant afterward and could not be corralled into their pens. Owen calmed them as best as he could then summoned the night shift maintenance crew on the island. He made the difficult decision to have the catwalks removed until the engineers could devise a safe solution. Some of the park's employees refused to assist - out of fear. Owen himself helped loosen bolts before a crane hauled away each of the four catwalks. When Barry arrived in the morning, he was surprised that Owen hadn't called him. Owen knew he would have to leave early to get some rest and wanted Barry there during the day.

"Billy is getting the engineers down here tomorrow," Owen told him. "I'll send the incident report to operations before I leave."

"Crazy timing," Barry mused. "Can you imagine if this happened one day earlier?"

"I can't think about that."

Claire didn't see Owen's email with the report until after she spoke with engineering. When InGen's lead structural engineer called her that afternoon, she assumed Henry had given him a head's up. When she heard there was a problem at the raptor paddock, Claire went into panic mode and could barely focus on the phone call. The engineer thought it was great timing to discuss any other issues the park had for his team.

Owen's report was critical of the park staff who refused to assist with disassembling the catwalks. It was easy to deduce that he was personally involved in the event. Claire worried for him but also felt defensive. Overnight park maintenance crews didn't sign up to deal with velociraptors, just as she accepted her job without knowledge of them. Tilda Jeffries made that point during their interview the day before. Claire considered reaching out to Owen. Upon leaving his trailer in the early morning hours, she silently promised not to be the first to make contact after her glorified booty call. Even though they exchanged very few words, it felt to Claire like more than just sex. For the first time, she felt like he was making love to her. She wanted him to contact her first as a test to prove that was true. Claire was frankly disappointed that he only sent the formal report and didn't bother to make a personal call to her. He was probably just tired, she thought to herself. Claire realized that she didn't make excuses just for herself when it came to intimacy.

By Sunday afternoon, Owen felt he had mended things with the pack after their literal shock by ACU. The engineers planned to have the new central pillar installed on Monday, let the concrete set overnight, and then rebuild the catwalks on Tuesday. Owen was impressed by their efficiency and looked forward to resuming training as usual. Working with his raptors from the paddock walls was manageable but frustrating. He was also frustrated by Claire. Owen felt like they were playing chicken with regard to contacting each other. Everything about their last night together - that dress, her hair, Claire's jubilant mood, being in his own bed - heightened his experience. Owen was still surprised by his decision to go down on her an additional time without needing her to reciprocate. He reluctantly considered, however, that his desire for gratitude was why he resisted contacting her first. He was excited to tell her about the engineers and construction crew helping him build his bungalow near the lake's edge. While they worked out the plans, Owen had been daydreaming about Claire being in his bungalow. He wondered if she was at work and if he could push her to contact him by turning his activity icon green in the company software.

Claire was beginning to think she was crazy to believe that Owen had any interest in her beyond the physical. That moment in the commissary parking lot seemed to be fading away into nothingness, and she judged herself for waiting for attention from him. Claire was tired of hearing about "perfect and sensitive" Jacob Staley. Sunday afternoon alone at the office, however, made her wonder if she had the time or energy for an actual relationship. Maybe great sex was enough right now. Claire closed her eyes and thought about Owen propping up her legs against his biceps and pushing deep. Not great, she thought, it's phenomenal. When she opened her eyes, she saw his name as active in the instant messenger program. Claire long ago added him to her contact list but had never previously seen him logged in. She felt emboldened to parrot his own words and messaged, "Race you to my place."

"See you there," was his reply before his activity icon went gray.

* * *

Owen rolled to Claire's side to catch his breath then turned to look at her quizzically, "Why did you fake it?"

"I didn't," she scoffed.

"Liar." Claire looked away from him, and Owen gently turned her body toward him. He repeated his question, and she sighed, "I don't know. You're the first to notice."

"Have you faked it before with me?"

"No."

"Then why now?"

"I thought...you were getting us even."

Owen was stunned, "Whoa, wait. You thought that was intentional? There were no conditions on the last time. I happen to enjoy getting you off."

"Then why didn't you?" she asked in the smallest voice Owen had ever heard from her. He didn't have a good answer. Then, he realized that she gave him an opportunity to be honest. He didn't feel pushed to say, "I need to see you more often."

Claire practically purred, "I'd like that." They smiled at each other for a long moment before Owen started trailing kisses down her body.

Claire wanted him to stay the night. More than that, however, she wanted him to want to stay the night. She wanted him to understand her the way she imagined Jacob understood Zara. Lying beside him this evening, she knew that phenomenal sex wasn’t enough. Claire wouldn't mind faking a few orgasms as long as she was getting more from him. Unfortunately, that strategy hadn't ever worked for her either. True intimacy remained elusive. She wanted that with Owen but feared that they were too far down a path, and there was no going back. Claire didn't want to hasten the demise of what they did have. She resolved to feel at ease with it for as long as she could, hope it would change, and make use of any opportunities to gently prod him for more.

“Claire," he suddenly whispered with excitement in his voice, "I forgot to tell you. The engineers are helping me build my bungalow this week. I can't wait for you to see it when it's done." Owen paused to take a deep breath, "Speaking of...I gotta go. Reconstruction at the paddock tomorrow." He kissed her quickly before getting out of bed. Claire leered at him while he got dressed. When he tried to give her another light peck before leaving, she pulled him into deep lip and tongue lock.

“That's a proper goodbye," she panted breathlessly. As she watched him leave, Claire thought about Zara and Jacob's engagement party at the office in three days. She didn't ask Owen to join her because she didn't think he would accept and didn't want to feel rejected by his declining.

Reconstruction at the raptor paddock proved to be more involved than anticipated. Owen didn't like keeping the pack in their harnesses for a long time, but there was no other way to ensure the safety of the staff. As before, some construction workers refused to help when faced with the raptors up close. The engineers redirected those workers to the "Paddock 11" project. Owen overheard them making comparisons between this new enclosure and the raptor paddock. Due to their obligations to the paddocks, his bungalow wouldn't be completed until the weekend. Owen decided to call Claire late Wednesday afternoon and make good on his promise to see her more. She answered after only one ring.

"Are you free tonight?" he asked.

"No," she stammered nervously, "There's this...party here...for my assistant's engagement."

"To Dr. Staley?" Owen didn't want to go but was thrilled to have a legitimate excuse that wouldn't upset Claire if she asked why.

"Yes. How did you know that?" Owen laughed, "Doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Oh," Claire said, realizing what he meant then changing the subject. "How's reconstruction?"

"Done at my paddock. Whatever you've got going on has delayed my bungalow though." Owen felt extra playful after Claire didn't press him about the party. "You're putting off our christening the space."

"Delayed gratification will be worth it."

"With you, always." He missed seeing her face. Owen considered making an appearance at the party.

* * *

"Waiting for someone or planning your escape?" Vivian asked Claire, startling her. Claire was distracted and, ironically, not engaged in the party. She responded with a reflexive, "Huh?"

Vivian smiled, "You keep looking at the door."

Claire stammered, "Oh, I...uh...just have some things to get back to."

"Forgive my impertinence, but you're a bad liar." Vivian looked at her boss sympathetically.

Claire groaned and rolled her eyes, "You're not the only one to point that out this week."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll be cutting out of here pretty soon. It's especially tough to muster enthusiasm for Zara when I work opening shift."

"You're not enthusiastic, generally?"

"Not really. I mean, I wish them the best, but I'm glad I met my boyfriend before I came to the island. The long distance thing is tough sometimes, but it keeps me grounded. Here is such a small world - pun intended - with limited social interactions. I'd be hesitant to enter a serious relationship with anyone on Isla Nublar."

Claire never heard Vivian talk about a boyfriend before, and now she understood why. Lowery would be disappointed. Part of her completely understood Vivian's point of view, and hearing it verbalized by someone else amplified her insecurities with Owen. Vivian looked toward Claire with a mix of anxiety and confusion, "I'm sorry if I upset you."

Claire tried to brush it off, "No, no, just pensive. I appreciate your candor."

Vivian laughed, "You never let your guard down, do you?"

Claire blushed, "I'm 'well-defended.'" Vivian slipped out of the room, unnoticed by everyone but Claire.

Owen walked past the conference room to confirm that the party had ended and breathed a sigh of relief. Before he got on his bike, Claire's activity icon was green. He hoped she was still in her office to surprise her. The halls of the building were empty and silent. When he saw the light under her closed door, he texted her: "That party must've been a real rager to finish before park closing." Claire's response came quickly, "Are you stalking me again?"

Owen was playful and horny, "I'm the Alpha and always on the prowl." He knocked lightly on her door before opening it. Claire seemed to perk up when their eyes met. She looked tired. He knelt down next to her chair and rotated it toward him. Just as Owen was about to assail her with his lips, he caught in his periphery the photos on her desk. Claire was looking at pictures of herself in the green silk dress. "These are amazing," he said while his gaze was transfixed.

She blushed, "The _Time_ photographer sent them. They're proofs of photographs not being used in the article. He thought I might like them. They'd otherwise be destroyed."

Owen practically gasped, "Good call." He carefully looked over each picture and landed on one he liked best. "This is my favorite," he said while taking her hand and kissing it. "I don't see you smile like this often. It's beautiful."

Claire started to choke up and breathe more heavily. She swallowed before relating, "The photographer...um...prompted me to think about...'something that brings you joy.'"

"Me?"

"You." Claire was tearing up, and Owen could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest. "Do you want it?" she asked in her small voice. Owen could barely say "yes" before pulling her out of the chair. Claire's mouth tasted like mangoes, so he kissed her until all he could taste was her. He felt driven wild and never wanted her more than in this moment. Owen was surprised that she put up no resistance to being rolled on the floor. Claire winced in discomfort. Owen stopped kissing her for a second, and she took the opportunity to roll him beneath her. As she straddled him, she removed her hair clip and shook her hair down. He wanted to literally rip off each other's clothing but didn't know how either of them would get home if he did that. As if reading his mind, Claire leaned forward and started slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Owen fumbled for the zipper on her skirt. When she stood up, the skirt dropped over him. Claire gingerly placed her clothes on her chair while Owen roughly got his pants down and off. Looking down on him, she smiled lasciviously, "I don't want rug burns."

"Give me rug burns," he said, as she settled back on top of him.

Claire saw three missed calls and a voicemail from Karen when she got home. Karen sounded intoxicated and asked her to call back - no matter how late. They were in the same time zone, but it was after midnight. No matter how old they were, Claire always tried to look good in the eyes of her big sister. She hoped it would go to voicemail, and her obligation would be fulfilled. She was shocked when Karen picked up.

"Thank God," Karen answered frantically. "I was worried about you. You work too late."

"I wasn't working," Claire answered nervously. "I'm seeing someone."

"You? Commitment-phobic loner are actually seeing someone?"

"Well, it's mostly just sex right now."

"Good for you. It's better to avoid all the messy emotions." Now, Claire was worried. Karen always encouraged her to take risks in relationships, allow herself to be vulnerable, and form deeper bonds with others. She's the last person to condone a superficial or solely physical relationship.

"What's going on, Karen?"

"It's over, Claire. Scott wants a divorce." Claire was in shock. Karen and Scott had long been the perfect couple: high school sweethearts who juggled high-powered careers and children with aplomb. They had been together through thick and thin. Claire was perennially jealous of Scott. She felt replaced by him as Karen's confidante and best friend since adolescence. Claire didn't know what to say. Aside from the mixed emotions about her sister's marriage, she had no personal experience with long-term relationships.

Claire cringed to ask, "What about therapy?"

"Been there, done that. Didn't work. He swears there's no one else, and he's just 'fallen out of love.'"

"With you? How is that possible?"

"Thank you, Claire, you are too kind. I took ownership of my mistakes, but it wasn't enough for him." Karen started to cry. Claire felt helpless.

Owen reveled in overseeing the construction of his bungalow. It was going to feel like home and give him permanence. The bungalow would also be a much more suitable place for Claire. As hot and special as the sex had been in his trailer, Owen felt she deserved a better place for them to be together. Together, he thought. The image of what that meant for him and what he wanted it to be was finally coalescing in his brain. Owen felt the photograph in his breast pocket, where he'd kept it for the last several days. He didn't want her to see the bungalow until it was done - perfect for his now distant promise. It was time to cash that check. Owen called her immediately so as not to lose his nerve.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Watching my bungalow deck being installed. It'll be done tomorrow." He paused and took a deep breath, "I want to bring you here...Wednesday...right after I take you out on a date."

"That works for me," Claire answered softly. Owen didn't realize how nervous he was until he felt himself relax.

* * *

Claire listened to the Norah Jones album she enjoyed so much back in college as she was getting ready. She removed the cerulean blue satin, cap-sleeved dress from the back of her closet. She bought it over a year ago and had been saving it for this very occasion. It thrilled her to feel the fabric on her skin for the first time since trying it on at the store. Claire relived in her mind many of the first date fantasies that had been building over the last year and a half. It was time to develop their relationship beyond the physical. Admiring herself in the mirror, however, she thought that might be a challenge for Owen. Claire giggled to herself before putting on her makeup. Save for the black Louboutins waiting next to her front door, she was fully ready to go by 6:20. Claire didn't dare wrinkle her dress, so she stood in her kitchen reviewing the itinerary. She knew it by heart, but it helped relax her to read it:

6:30 - Sunset over the lagoon

7:00 - Employee mainland ferry

8:30 - Dinner reservation at Tres Scalini, table with a view of the water courtesy of Tony

10:00 - Irish coffees at Pura Caffeina

10:30 - Walk along the boardwalk

11:00 - Employee Isla Nublar ferry

12:30 - Bungalow tour

Claire smiled to herself over additional details not fit to print. It was going to be perfect. She folded it and put it in her purse before slipping her feet into the Louboutins. She walked out her door and headed for the elevator at precisely 6:25. Owen was standing next to his bike when Claire walked out the exterior door. Her smile dissolved when she saw him. He was wearing a black henley and red board shorts. She tried extremely hard not to look utterly devastated. What had she misunderstood? This is what he decided to wear after almost two years of knowing her? She wondered if Owen even noticed her facial expression as he scanned her body.

After what seemed like an eternity, he chuckled nervously and said, "Wow, Claire, you look phenomenal. I am definitely underdressed." She barely caught the regret in his eyes before he motioned for her to hop on the back of his bike. Claire raised her eyebrows and was dismissive, "No. This dress and these shoes do not go with the bike."

He stifled a laugh, "It'll be fine. C'mon."

"No!" She was almost shrieking and looked away from him out of embarrassment. Claire cleared her throat. She pulled the itinerary out of her purse and gave it to him. "Look, I have it all planned."

It was Owen's turn to be dismissive, "No way. We're not going to the mainland. I have things I want to show you here." She didn't know how to respond. Her eyes drifted to his hands. Owen was crushing the print-out in his fist.

"Give it back then," Claire finally blurted out.

He was sympathetic, "Hey, I don't mean to upset you." Owen walked up to her, passed her the paper, and pulled her body into his. She resisted leaning her face on his chest so as not to smudge her makeup. The fabric of his Henley was not particularly soft either. He inhaled deeply before whispering, "Roses and satin. We could always just go upstairs."

Claire groaned and pulled out of his embrace, "Tonight is supposed to be different, Owen."

"I know," he answered softly. "Let's compromise. Start with what you want. Sunset on the lagoon sounds great." They walked around the resort grounds towards the lagoon holding hands. Claire was challenged to relax, between not getting her way with the itinerary and walking more than she anticipated in her shoes.

Owen could tell that Claire was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. He suppressed the voice in his head that had been telling him it was a mistake to go on this date. Owen would've preferred to just let things evolve more naturally. He hoped to get this symbolic night over with, push through his own discomfort, and return to getting to know Claire in a less forced manner. She did look beautiful though. Owen stopped walking and tugged on her hand. He moved behind her, put a hand around her waist, and swept her hair over her right shoulder.

"Relax," he whispered before kissing the left side of her neck. Owen could feel her knees slightly buckle in the way he knew well. "If your feet hurt, I could carry you the rest of the way."

Claire moaned softly with her eyes closed, "Way to where?"

"Winston’s."

"What?" she exclaimed, shaking him off her neck and turning to face him. Board shorts might be suitable for Sunrio or Margaritaville, but they were a definite faux pas for Winston’s.

"It's funny, right? The place we were supposed to first meet." She bit her lip. Owen couldn't read her.

Claire breathed out and sighed, "I can make it to Winston’s."

They arrived too early for Owen's reservation and were directed to wait in the bar for a table to be ready. He ordered a pair of double tequilas before Claire could stop him or protest. He raised his glass and said, "I promised myself that when we went out we'd drink tequila. No Chardonnay. No frog water. Real drinks." Claire practically snorted with laughter. She had to pull herself together before she could respond. He looked offended, so she put her hand over his.

"Please tell me you've never used that line before," Claire said, trying to control her flush.

"No," Owen replied then slyly smiled, "It's never been right for anyone until you."

She was having difficulty keeping a straight face and not falling off the barstool, "Because I have a head for business and a bod for sin?"

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

She was harsh and condescending, "Did you memorize the script for _Working Girl_?" He looked embarrassed. Claire stopped laughing and softened, "I didn't figure you for a fan of that movie."

"Well, I guess I was wrong about you, too." Owen downed his tequila quickly then gently pushed her glass towards her without making eye contact. Claire felt bad for ruining the moment he tried to recreate. She dreaded disappointing him further. She cleared her throat and stammered slightly, "I...can't drink that."

"Why not?" he asked in a near venomous tone.

She was more defensive than was absolutely necessary, "I'm on a diet."

Owen scoffed, "You do not need to be on a diet. I should know."

"I looked heavy in those _Time_ photos."

He sputtered loudly, "Are you kidding? You looked gorgeous in those photos and in the flesh that day." Claire nervously looked around the bar area to see if anyone was listening or looking at them.

She was harsh again and whispered sarcastically, "Why don't you just announce to the whole restaurant that we're sleeping together?"

Owen sharpened his gaze at her, "Would that be embarrassing for you? If people knew?"

"No," she exclaimed, "That's not what I meant. Just don't make a scene." She touched a nerve. His countenance changed, and Claire was a little afraid of him.

Owen downed her glass of tequila then looked at her, "Worried about me having another...outburst?"

She took a sharp intake of breath then answered firmly, "The chances for one are increasing with all that alcohol." They stared angrily at each other for thirty seconds before the hostess arrived to bring them to their table.

Owen pretended to read the menu and blocked Claire from his view. He was simmering with rage, heightened by the fact that she was right - four shots of tequila on an empty stomach had not been the smartest idea. Now, he was going to have to order a lot of food to compensate while she kept to her supposed diet. Angry thoughts raced through his head. Like, how was Irish coffee okay for this diet but not tequila? Owen couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound pissy. He wondered if she was baiting him to make a scene to prove something about himself. Why couldn't she just indulge his _Working Girl_ fantasy with a sip of tequila? Owen had hoped she would find it cute and appreciate his knowing that movie. His thoughts became circular, returning to her being right about his having too much alcohol.

Claire was shutting down. She became pessimistic about the evening and her future with Owen. This is who he is, she thought to herself. She had no interest in trying to change someone and didn't think that would work anyway. Claire decided that he had plenty of opportunities to get to know her better, and he didn't take them. She wondered why he bothered to make such an effort in bed if he wasn't going to make an effort in other settings. Why couldn't it translate? Claire thought about Karen's failing marriage and Vivian's comments about the island. Her pessimism increased. She didn't feel ready to give up the good parts of her relationship with Owen, but maybe they just needed to rip off the bandaid and get it over with.

They said very little throughout dinner. Neither of them ordered dessert. There was a moment of significant awkwardness when the bill came. Both of them reached for it, but Claire backed off when Owen glared at her.

"You're in control," she said under her breath. He didn't know what to make of her behavior. Was she just pissed off about the itinerary? He was feeling sober enough to drive, but if she was going to refuse getting on his bike again, what was the point of his plans for the rest of the night? Owen thought they should probably cut their losses and end the date. It was a failure. He imagined they would spend some time apart and then come back to each other like always. Alternatively, he considered taking her back to her place and fucking her brains out.

The walk back to the resort seemed to take five times longer than the walk to Winston’s. Claire's hands felt cold. She wanted to reach out and take Owen's hand, but she stopped herself. She spent the majority of the dinner and the walk home thinking about breaking it off with him. If she touched him now, Claire knew she'd lose control - they'd end up sleeping together. She started to wonder if that would be bad. It might erase the awful feelings that developed tonight. No, she told herself, it would only delay the inevitable. When she thought about never touching Owen again, Claire wanted to cry. She looked up at him with deep sadness. His expression was blank. Maybe he'd given up, too. Maybe he was becoming indifferent to her.

When they reached the parking lot, Owen finally spoke, "This didn't go as I planned. We should cool off. Talk in a couple days." He looked at her sympathetically. Claire's expression was difficult to read. Disappointed? Defeated?

She sighed, "Let's just talk upstairs now." Owen's eyes went wide, and he did a double-take. If he could get to her penthouse, maybe the night would be salvageable. Claire was quiet in the elevator. He didn't want to get his hopes up too much but was feeling relieved. As soon as her apartment door was shut, she said, "This isn't working. I think we should just call a spade a spade and end it."

Owen felt nauseated and lost his breath. He couldn't look at her and said in a low tone, "You don't mean that."

"I do mean it. This night proved how incompatible we are." Owen finally looked at her, with anger and hurt.

"This night was a disaster," he spat, "But it doesn't prove anything."

"We don't even know each other."

"But we've KNOWN each other...a LOT." Claire slapped him clear across the face. He rubbed his jaw, "Okay, I deserved that. We're both upset. This is not the time to jump to conclusions."

"You know best, huh?" she responded acidly. "You'll tell me how it is?"

"Where is this coming from? Why are you suddenly being so hard-headed? You've been easy so far." Claire put her hand up to slap him again, and Owen stepped back. "Whoa, whoa. I didn't mean it like that." They both took a moment to slow their breathing.

Claire eventually said, "This is just a physical thing, and we're enamored of fantasy versions of each other."

"Speak for yourself," Owen practically growled.

"Fine. I know more about you from the news and what other people say about you than what you've told me about yourself."

"You're not exactly an open book."

"It's been a year and a half! We should know each other better."

"I didn't realize we were on a schedule." Owen began to shut down. He could try to explain how she was wrong, but she wasn't listening. He wasn't going to beg.

" _Les Jeux Sont Faits_ ," Claire sighed quietly.

"What?"

" _Les Jeux Sont Faits_ , it's a French book. Roughly translated, ' _The Games Are Over._ ' The main characters have great physical chemistry but they can't make it translate to more. The reality of their lives...their choices...gets in the way. They're too different, and what they share is not enough."

"Stop talking." Owen shook his head and rubbed his temples. "I don't give a shit about a book. I care about us."

"There is no us. There's no attraction beyond the physical."

"If you actually believe that, then...you're right, there is no us." Owen was done for the night. He needed to leave before he said something he couldn't take back. He needed to leave before she said anything else to make it worse. Owen walked out her front door. He wanted to slam it shut but decided to leave it open instead.


	14. An Aim Not Devoid Of Merit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The longest chapter and the only one that made me cry while writing. This is the chapter I wanted to write for a long time. I hope others enjoy it, too. This will be the last full chapter before the epilogue - almost all my ends have been tied and almost all my aims have been met.

For six days, Claire felt like a robot. She was going through the motions of her day with even more detachment than Dr. Malcolm had observed. Zara, Vivian and Lowery expressed their concerns to her privately and individually. They all thought someone had died. In a way, they were correct. Claire was numb. On the seventh day, the new issue of _Time_ was released. The cover image was the Jurassic World logo with Claire's silhouette superimposed on the T. rex within the circle. It read "Jurassic World Peace" in the park logo font below the circle. When Zara brought the issue to her boss's desk, it was accompanied by a spectacular bouquet of flowers from Simon Masrani. The enclosed card read, "An epoch achievement!" Claire hadn't realized that her boss was into puns.

On the seventh morning after their date, Owen fed the vase of purple orchids on his countertop a shot of tequila to hasten their wilting. Poetic justice, he thought. He didn't know if they were playing chicken again or if Claire was really done with him. Owen was too hurt and proud to contact her. He kept the flowers in hope that she'd come to the bungalow after all and because they superficially brightened the space. The bungalow should've been making him happy, but its emptiness only reminded him of her harsh words. Working provided an excellent distraction, so Owen had resumed his 18 hour days. He was relieved that Barry didn't make repeated inquires about Claire. On the morning after the date, Barry asked how it went. Owen told him that they'd fought and were taking time to figure things out. He could tell Barry was concerned for him. It was like salt in the wound for Owen to imagine Barry sharing those concerns with Genevieve.

The Research Division didn't receive print copies of the _Time Magazine_ issue. This was likely a spiteful move on the part of Billy. Someone on the staff had an online subscription, so almost everyone took the opportunity to read it on the computers near the paddock. Owen refused, mostly because of the way the date ended and only partly because he still avoided media coverage of the division. Barry came to speak to him privately at the end of the day.

"I want to talk to you," Barry said apprehensively. Owen sighed, "I figured."

"You should read it."

"You know how I feel about-"

"Read it." Barry walked away from him without another word.

When Owen got home, he saw that the tequila had worked its "magic" on the orchids. It made him feel guilty, and he put them in the trash before booting up his laptop. He drank his own shot of tequila before opening the article. Owen scanned the photos first. All the ones of Claire, including the impressively designed cover, made him feel a mix of joy and regret. He lingered longest on a picture of her with Henry in the lab. She was smiling, that smile - his smile. Owen took the photograph out of his breast pocket and compared them. It was a match. He let himself believe that Claire was thinking about him in that moment, too. There was a sidebar to the article about himself titled, "The Quiet Man." In it, Billy referred to him as a man of conviction, and Hoskins called him "peerless." Henry denied feeling threatened by Owen, either physically during their "infamous exchange" or in terms of their research pursuits. Henry said that he appreciated Owen's "dedication and meticulousness." After a short description of his work at NMMP, the sidebar ended with Claire's thoughts on him. She was asked if she trusted him. Her quoted answer was, "Owen Grady safeguards the integrity of his work in the same way he protects everyone on this island. I truly believe that he would risk his own life to prevent his raptors from harming anyone else." Owen didn't need to worry whether or not Claire knew him. She already did. It came over him like a wave, and he let it crash for the first time in seven days: Owen cried and wondered why this wasn't enough for her.

* * *

"Congratulations, sis," Karen sounded genuinely happy over the phone and not at all intoxicated. She told Claire how beautiful she looked in the photos and how poised and confident she sounded in the article. Claire was not expecting effusive praise from her sister, especially given the circumstances. She wondered if Karen was trying to distract herself from her own problems. Claire was lulled into a partially confused state when Karen quickly inquired, "Are you still seeing that raptor guy?"

"No, I broke it off with h-" Claire stopped herself and heard Karen cackling on the other end of the line.

"I knew it!" Karen said triumphantly. Claire imagined her sister grinning like the Cheshire Cat. She groaned and asked, "What gave it away?"

"Your sex tell. I only ever hear that you 'truly believe' something unless you're talking about someone you're sleeping with. Going all the way back to Daniel, the musician you 'truly believed' was going to be a rock star." Karen resumed her laughter, and Claire vomited a little in her mouth thinking about her first time. It all seemed so glorious until she realized what a stoned, unmotivated slob Daniel was. Claire was relieved to hear that she hadn't given away some obvious clue that readers outside of her sister might catch. Despite time and distance, Karen still probably knew her better than anyone. When she stopped laughing, she asked sympathetically, "What happened with the raptor guy?"

Claire sighed, "It was just sex. We didn't know much about each other. He didn't try to get to know me on a deeper level."

"And I bet you didn't give him much to go on."

Claire felt very defensive and hissed, "You're in no position to be giving relationship advice."

Karen was surprisingly calm in her response, "There's the ice queen I know and love." Claire huffed but had no immediate retort. Karen continued, "You sounded warm and funny in that article - so unlike you." Claire realized that her sister was baiting her and remained silent. "I'm telling you this because I love you. It suits you to live on an island because you try to be one. You never let anyone in and you push people away when they get too close." Karen paused, and Claire could hear her crying on the other end. "You've been like that for as long as I can remember. I know you've always been jealous of Scott. You probably think I abandoned you when I gravitated toward him, but you know what? You pushed me away, too. Always needing to be the best. Always thinking you knew best. When you were critical of Scott, it drove me toward him and further from you." Claire was crying now, too. Neither of them said anything for a long time.

Eventually, Claire stammered, "I'm sorry...for driving you away. Is there anything I can do...to support you now?"

Karen sniffed and cleared her throat, "Actually, yeah, there is. Can you host the boys at the park over their holiday break?"

"Of course, yes, that's months away. I can accommodate that."

"Thank you. I'll email you the specific dates before we buy plane tickets for them. They'll be so excited to see you. Gray told all of his friends at school about the _Time_ article. I even overheard Zach bragging to his girlfriend about you being his aunt." Claire was stunned that her nephews would even care. If she had pushed away Karen, then she definitely pushed them away more. Claire was an absentee aunt, sending Christmas gifts but never remembering birthdays. They last saw each other at her mother's funeral, and Claire immediately rushed back to New York afterward. “I have one more request, Claire." Karen took a deep breath, "Give that raptor guy another shot at getting to know you. I Googled him, and he is totally hot." They both laughed before Karen added seriously, "He sounds like a good man. If given the chance, he might risk his life for you, too."

In the weeks that followed the _Time_ issue, Claire felt like a celebrity. People seemed to respect her more in operations, and guests recognized her - some even asked for her autograph and to take selfies with her. Part of her was incredibly uncomfortable with the attention. Another part of her absolutely loved it. It validated her, her decisions, and her leadership. More investors, restaurants and retailers expressed interest in the park. Her days became busier than ever. Claire rarely thought of Owen, and that was willful. She almost drove to his bungalow after her phone call with Karen. She slept on it instead. In the light of day, Claire decided that Karen caught her in a vulnerable moment. To contact him would mean admitting she was wrong, and the "Master and Commander" of Jurassic World wasn't wrong.

On sleepless nights, Claire missed his touch, taste and smell. This made her feel weak, as if she needed sex to feel whole or worthy. She would tell herself that she didn't need it and that her validations at work were enough. On particularly difficult days or when triggered to recall a specific memory, however, Claire missed that feeling of being cherished by him. She would second guess her decision to cut him out of her life. She would judge herself for treating him poorly. Sometimes, Claire would even cry. In such moments, she was thankful that so few people knew about her relationship with him. No one was there to judge her or encourage her to call him.

* * *

Owen heard through the grapevine that Simon Masrani was on the island. Simon was meeting with various people to congratulate them on their participation in the _Time_ article, so Owen assumed the raptor paddock was not on the itinerary. Owen had become increasingly cynical about humanity and their desire for external validation. He was proud of his work and felt internally motivated every day to put forth his best effort. Owen had made a lot of gains with pack after the reconstruction, and there had been no safety incidents or injuries since the new catwalks were installed. When he saw Simon step out of a car near the paddock, it gave him a feeling of dread.

Owen and Simon exchanged pleasantries and talked in generality about raptor intelligence, but Owen could tell that this was all superficial. He sensed that something else brought Simon to the paddock - his first visit after almost two years in existence.

"Owen," Simon began in an almost condescending tone, "I understand your desire for privacy here - to conduct your work with limited outside interference. It's why I have left you alone and not bothered you."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming up," Owen couldn't help interrupting.

Simon smiled and nodded, "Yes. I'll get right down to it. I'm here to make a personal appeal."

"On behalf of whom?" Owen couldn't conceal the irritation in his voice.

"Ellie Sattler." Owen was taken aback. This was truly surprising. Although Dr. Sattler aided in Billy and Alan Grant's rescue from Isla Sorna, she had made it clear - in interviews and books - that a return to the island was not an interest of hers. Owen's understanding was that she was particularly traumatized by her interactions with the raptors, so he did not expect his work to hold any lure for her. Simon practically read his mind, "I am also surprised and intrigued by her request. Dr. Sattler contacted Billy and told him that he 'owed' her." He paused to laugh. "Billy was hesitant to bring it to you himself...after you shut down his personal appeal about Time. When Billy found out about my planned island visit, he was...ecstatic. Dr. Sattler told Billy that her interest in seeing the raptors and meeting you was personal and not professionally-motivated."

"Mr. Masrani...I just don't think-"

"You think too much." Simon shifted to being arrogant and clearly condescending. "Have you not already been humbled by the power of the park? We know that it only took Dr. Sattler a brief time with the raptors to respect them. You've had two years." Owen realized that he wasn't being asked about Ellie Sattler visiting. He was being told. He suddenly had a better understanding of the position in which Claire found herself with Simon. Now on the receiving end himself, Owen wished he had been less judgmental of Claire. Simon explained that InGen would handle everything for Dr. Sattler's visit. She would sign an NDA and only be on the island for a few hours. Owen could decide the specific day and time of day, have limited staff on hand, and get NDAs from anyone present. Park operations would never know she was there. Owen's pride took another hit. He harkened back to his suspension, when he also felt powerless in his personal and professional lives.

Owen decided to have dinner at the Sunrio Tequila Bar. He was thinking about Claire too much today and wanted to minimize idle time at his bungalow. A park employee he didn't recognize was sitting in the barstool where he'd planned to sit, on the end and furthest from other patrons. It wasn't enough to make Owen leave, so he sat two barstools down from the stranger. The stranger appeared nervous after they made eye contact, and he hoped the other man would be encouraged to leave. Owen was surprised when the man turned to him instead.

"I am so glad to see you," he said, seemingly incongruent with his nervous demeanor. Owen was annoyed, "I don't know you."

"Yeah, sure...I mean...this is awkward. My name is Lowery Cruthers. I'm one of the two park monitors. I've worked with Claire every day for the last two years." Lowery took a deep breath. Owen tried not to betray anything, unsure what Claire may or may not have told this man about their relationship.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Owen asked with blank expression.

Lowery laughed, "Nice. Your stone face is almost as good as hers." Owen glared at him, and Lowery cleared his throat, "Let me start by saying that I think the two of you need to work things out. She was a much better boss when you were together. Between that article and your break-up, she is insufferable these days." Lowery paused to groan and feign gagging. "And that haircut is the absolute worst."

Owen softened but concealed his sadness, "She cut her hair?"

"Oh yeah. It's this pointy, chin-length bob with bangs." Lowery pretended to shiver. "The haircut is how I knew you broke up. Chicks don't dramatically change their hair unless they're trying to move on from something - like on the TV show, Felicity...remember that one?" Owen rolled his eyes. Lowery continued nervously, "I don't have a lot of time. It's my dinner break. I just can't miss this opportunity to tell you-"

"Stop," Owen was getting frustrated. "Did she talk to you about us?"

"Claire doesn't talk about anything personal at work. Right before the haircut, she looked like someone had died - for like a week! I asked her what was wrong, and she wouldn't say."

"How do you know then?"

"Uh...legit, I know because I was in the car behind you in the commissary parking lot when you kissed her on the cheek. And, dude, seriously, the cheek? When you're obviously crazy about each other?"

Owen groaned, "What's the 'not legit' reason you know about us?"

Lowery's affect shifted and his voice became very soft, "Please don't get me fired. You gotta know I'm putting myself on the line because the situation is critical."

Owen sighed, "I won't get you fired."

Lowery breathed out, "I wanted to see them...the raptors. After Billy announced that they were born, I accessed the camera footage from the lab." Owen gasped. Of all the private moments that could be violated, this one stung. He was, however, glad that it had nothing to do with the night on Claire's office floor. Lowery was apologetic, "I know. I was in no way expecting to see Claire there. I immediately felt like a voyeur."

"I wasn't expecting her either," Owen said under his breath.

Lowery continued nervously, "I was going to stop watching, but I couldn't look away. You two were mesmerizing, man. The way you looked at each other through the glass...the way she was watching you with the babies...God, I wish a woman would look at me like that."

Owen took the photograph out of his pocket and dropped it on the bar between them, "Something like this?"

Lowery did a double-take and said with amazement, "Yeah, exactly like that." There was silence between them. Lowery eventually added with trepidation, "If you're still carrying this around-"

"Don't tell anyone. Consider us even." Owen put the photograph back in his pocket. Lowery was clearly sad for Owen. That made Owen uncomfortable. He didn't want pity.

Lowery looked at his watch and then turned to Owen, "Look, I know how she is. Most of the time, it's easiest not to challenge her. You just do what she says, exactly how she wants it. This is not one of those times. I'm telling you, man."

Owen cut him off and put a hand on Lowery's shoulder, "You should get back to work. It was nice to meet you." This conversation was hard for Owen to bear with a stranger. He had been avoiding such a conversation with Barry. He knew that Barry would say similar things to him. Things that the angel on his shoulder had been telling him since that fateful night.

Lowery stood to leave and said quickly, "She's wrong. Fight for her." As he watched Lowery leave, Owen thought about how much worse he would feel if he lost that fight. The devil on his shoulder told him things, too.

* * *

Henry and Claire reviewed the timeline for their newly named dinosaur, _Indominus rex_. Two eggs would hatch in a week. Henry was clearly pleased with himself and told Claire that Simon and the board would be thrilled. Since it was a new species, he was less able to predict her growth rate and final adult size. In addition to park human resource planning, InGen was hiring ACU and other staff specifically for Paddock 11. Due to Indominus' inherent unpredictability, Henry warned that further park and InGen staff might need to be pulled intermittently. Claire was already feeling the burn of this unpredictability. She was not yet able to openly solicit corporate sponsorship for the new species. Henry was very protective of his breakthrough and didn't want anything leaked. Claire suspected that he was also nervous about the Indominus. They had spoken in code once about the raptors' deaths, and he admitted that the assets were not always prepared to live in today's world. Simon had confidence in Henry, and the board felt that sponsors would leap at the chance to have their name tied to Indominus once she was hatched and thriving.

During their discussion, Henry drew a comparison between the complexities of the Indominus launch and the raptor project. He suggested that Claire talk with Owen about his unexpected challenges for insights about how the park might need to manage the hybrid. She winced at the mention of Owen's name, and it did not go unnoticed by Henry. He clicked his tongue, "Trouble with him again?"

Claire smiled through pursed lips and shook her head, "You miss nothing, Henry."

"It was obvious weeks ago when you debuted this." He paused to motion dismissively at her hair. "You looked like the Goddess of Jurassic World in _Time_. Now, you look like a cross between Prince Valiant and a comic book villainess."

"That's a bit harsh, even for you." She tried to maintain her defensive and icy stance but was legitimately hurt. "It's my own take on Anna Wintour."

"The devil wears...her heart in her hair." Henry lowered his eyebrows and frowned.

Claire groaned, "We are not having this conversation."

He shrugged his shoulders, "Well, he's not as smart as he thinks he is if he let you go." This comment made Claire smile. Just before she was going to thank him, Henry sniped, "It's a shame though. He was always so fond of you." Her smile dissolved, and she swallowed hard. Claire didn't want to consider that Henry had insights into Owen that would contradict her own. Henry was also baiting her to reveal something, and it was best - for her - that everyone else remain ignorant of the details.

Standing on the bungalow deck and overlooking the lake, Owen felt a mix of relief and anxiety finally talking to Barry about Claire. He had stopped carrying her picture in his pocket and resolved to let her go, but he knew that avoiding the topic with Barry was cowardly. Barry listened intently as Owen shared what happened on the date. He omitted a few things that he felt were too private and painful. When he was done, Barry shook his head and asked, "Do you need me to support you or give you constructive feedback?"

Owen was somewhat incredulous, "Are those mutually exclusive?"

"It sounds like you've both decided to be done with each other. Any feedback I would give now is too late. You set it up that way." Barry understood Owen's behaviors all too well.

Owen sighed, "I know."

"I will say one thing though. That book she brought up, _Les Jeux Sont Faits_ , I remember it from school. It's a heady comparison she made. The main characters are soulmates, and it's a tragedy. They choose to hold on to irrelevant past connections rather than focusing on a future together. It ends as they are literally two lost souls, condemned to eternal loneliness."

Owen shivered and winced, "That's encouraging."

Barry laughed, "The author, Jean-Paul Sartre, is an existentialist. I've always liked that philosophy - give meaning to your own life by living it passionately and sincerely. 'Authentically' was the word Sartre used." This comment made Owen remember his first dawn walk in the gardens with Claire. He didn't want to give up the joy he associated with that particular memory. Barry, the keen and sneaky behaviorist, found a way to give him feedback after all.

Claire was not having a good day. The revised edition of Dr. Malcolm's book had been out for one week, and Panera Bread had already decided to shutter their location in the park. She didn't think what Dr. Malcolm said was particularly damning, and he made good on his promise not to write about her specifically. Claire wondered if, perhaps, she was minimizing his criticisms of the park and its staff. He essentially wrote what he told her in the _T. rex_ paddock about feeling frozen in time and space. It had a "same song, different verse" vibe. She felt that Panera’s closing was particularly faithless, given the safety track record of the park. Even the raptor paddock had been incident free since the catwalk reconstruction. The raptors were so safe, it appeared, that InGen had moved the EMS presence from the Research Division to Paddock 11. When Claire walked into the control room, she was horrified by Lowery's workstation: a copy of _God Creates Dinosaurs_ was visibly propping up his other books.

"Get that out of here," she exclaimed, pointing to the book.

"No," Lowery shot back confidently. Claire fumed. Lowery had been acting passive-aggressive recently, for reasons entirely unclear to her, but she had been letting it slide. "It's my workstation, Claire. I will decorate it however I want." He paused to stare her down before adding, "Just like my dinosaurs."

Claire looked over at his messy row of toys then scoffed, "You can't even keep them all standing."

Lowery grinned almost menacingly, "Oh, so you finally noticed the velociraptor. That's intentional. He's heartbroken." She gasped and reflexively grabbed the little dinosaur. Her heart was pounding. Lowery looked smug. Claire had to leave the room immediately.

* * *

Owen was not looking forward to Ellie Sattler's visit. He remained bitter about being told to allow her as the division's first outside visitor and wondered if he should have put up more resistance. As suggested by Simon, there were very few staff scheduled to be at the paddock for the next few hours - one less even than expected. A maintenance tech unexpectedly quit the day before, seemingly spooked by both Ian Malcolm's book and being asked to sign an NDA for today's shift. InGen promised they would replace the tech quickly, but they seemed a bit more focused on the secretive Paddock 11 project. Barry was worried for Genevieve's safety after she was moved there and asked to sign an NDA.

Ellie stepped out of the InGen vehicle looking somewhat nervous. Owen had to focus most of his energy on not seeming annoyed. She was, at least, dressed appropriately in hiking clothes and ankle-high boots. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.

"Dr. Sattler," he said shaking her hand, "I'm Owen Grady."

"I know," she responded with a smile. "Call me Ellie."

"What exactly brings you here?"

"Billy told me you were prickly. Chill out, please." She stared him down with raised eyebrows and a smirk. "I mostly wanted to face my fears with regards to the raptors, but I also wanted to meet you."

"Why me?" He was more defensive than he needed to be.

"I'm sure lots of people want to meet you, Owen. You're a fascinating character." Owen didn't want to talk about himself. He worried that Dr. Sattler would be studying him during her visit regardless of whether he spoke.

"What do you want to see, Dr. Sattler?"

"Ellie, please. Or, I'm going to start calling you Mr. Grady." She laughed. Owen admitted to himself that she was disarming. He relaxed a bit. "Can you tell me some of what you've learned about them? Alan once told me that he thought that raptors were smarter than dolphins and primates."

"I never worked with primates, so I can't confirm that. I have worked with dolphins and sea lions, and my raptors are much smarter than them."

"Your raptors?"

"I imprinted on them as hatchlings. I’m the Alpha of the pack."

"In other areas of your life, I imagine you are an Alpha as well."

Owen frowned at her, "If you want to know what they can do, it's easier if I show you." He started walking toward the paddock, and Ellie initially hesitated to follow him. Owen turned back toward her, "It's safe at the paddock. I promise."

They walked up the steps to the top of the paddock's walls. Ellie took the climb very slowly. The pack was out of view. Owen grabbed a bucket of rodent treats before stepping onto the catwalk. Ellie appeared paralyzed, holding onto the catwalk railings but keeping her feet on the wall walk. She was looking down and breathing hard. Owen said sympathetically, "You can stay along the perimeter if you prefer."

"No," she said demonstrably, "I need to be able to do this." Owen knew from experience that the best way to support her in this moment was to act normal and be relaxed himself. When the pack heard their footsteps on the catwalk, they came running into view. Ellie stopped walking and tightly gripped the railings. Owen greeted his animals as usual, calling them each by name. Ellie eventually stood next to him. Her gaze remained fixed on the raptors.

Owen planned to demonstrate some of the commands to which he trained the raptors to respond. He could tell that the pack was curious about the unfamiliar person and less focused on him. The raptors communicated with each other more than usual, and Owen had to be firm in re-directing them. Ellie seemed especially unnerved by their vocalizations. Owen thought she looked similar to sailors that he witnessed having flashbacks as part of PTSD. He sighed and realized that explaining things might help her. This is probably why she wanted to talk first, to warm up to being faced with them. Owen felt guilty for being so gruff with her.

"Blue," he said pointing, "is the beta. She leads the pack when I'm not around. She can be defiant sometimes, but she is loyal and helps to get the others in line."

"She's beautiful," Ellie responded, relaxing. "It's a sign of respect that you gave her a more distinctive name. Not that keeping with the military alphabet was cruel to the others. My son is named Charlie."

Owen turned toward the pack and said, "Charlie, down!" When Charlie did as commanded, he said, "Good" and tossed her a treat. He proceeded to give each raptor a different command followed by a reward.

When Echo received her reward, Ellie said with a grimace, "I'm glad you didn't name her Omega. Does she enact that role in the pack?"

Owen couldn't hide his sadness from her, "No. We had an Omega."

Ellie swallowed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."

"Omega did enact that role...too well for her own good." Owen felt relieved to verbalize this. His thoughts drifted to Claire for a moment, wondering why he couldn't be more open with her about the same topic. Owen shook it off then led the group through a few other commands. When he was done, he gave each raptor a treat, ending with Blue.

"Why did you reward Blue last?" Ellie asked.

"To remind her who's in charge," Owen said firmly.

"That was very impressive."

"Thank you." They stood on the catwalks watching the raptors play with each other.

Ellie eventually said with sadness, "Alan would love to see this."

Owen scoffed, "I would think he'd find it threatening."

"Maybe outwardly. He keeps a lot inside." She paused to look him in the eye. Owen felt her analyzing him. "I haven't seen him in a long time. He's always had trouble reaching out." Owen didn't know where she was going with this, but it made him uncomfortable. Ellie looked back at the pack. "When we returned home from this place, we were both changed. I struggled to find a sense of purpose again. Alan was angry. He didn't seem to want to move on. He became more cynical and took me for granted. If I was going to survive the experience and move on, I had to leave. I sometimes worry if that made it worse for him." Ellie started to cry. "Alan fully lost faith in others after Billy left him for InGen. That betrayal stung him too deep. He's never been the same." She wiped away her tears and turned back toward Owen. "I'm sorry. It's hard to be back here. Ian is wrong though. It's not completely the same. You are doing something different. I can see that." Ellie smiled. "Billy told me that you didn't allow Ian to visit. Thank you...for allowing me."

"You're welcome," Owen answered genuinely. They walked back to the perimeter. Before they started to descend the stairs, he asked, "Do you want to see them from the floor-level cage?" Fear suddenly returned to her eyes, and Owen was calming, "It's also safe. We harness them and can examine them down there. I don't have enough staff to get them in the harnesses, but we can look at them eye-to-eye through the bars."

Ellie took a deep breath and smiled, "Let me work up to that. Talk to me a bit more about their training." Owen shared how he used to train them on the paddock floor until they became too dangerous. He spoke of his injury. He talked about still doing scent training through the bars and how much he enjoyed that. He admitted to missing being physically closer to them. Owen was surprised by how easy it was to share this with Ellie and concluded that it was in response to her own openness.

She started to cry again, and he didn't know what to say. Ellie put one hand over her mouth and steadied herself on the railing with her other hand. "I'm sorry," she said, choking back tears, "You just remind me so much of Alan...back then."

"Do you need a minute?" Owen asked cautiously, not knowing if he should put a hand on her shoulder or hug her or just let her be.

She sniffed, "Do you have someone, Owen...for survival?"

He was taken aback and asked, "In case of another catastrophe on the island?" Ellie grinned and laughed boisterously. Owen was even more confused.

"I'm not laughing about another possible catastrophe on this island," she said. "That would be very insensitive of me. I'm laughing at your choosing the word 'catastrophe.'" She pulled herself together and explained, "I guess I WAS actually asking if you had someone for surviving the 'full catastrophe.'"

"I don't know what that means," Owen replied.

"It's a quote from the movie _Zorba the Greek_." Ellie looked at him expectantly, and he just shrugged. "You're too young," Ellie sighed. "Zorba describes having 'wife, house, kids, everything...the full catastrophe.' It's a reflection of his supreme appreciation for the richness of life, the poignant enormity of life's experience." Ellie smiled in a way that reminded him of his photo of Claire. "I could go on forever - it's one of our favorites, my husband, Mark, and I. 'Zorba' was even his call sign when he was in the Air Force."

Owen was legitimately curious but also deliberately pushing the conversation away from himself when he asked, "How did you meet?"

"When I left Montana, I took a job at the Hagerman Fossil Beds in Idaho. Mark was working as a JAG on the nearby Mountain Home Air Force Base." Owen laughed at the mention of the famously unpopular and isolated military installation.

"You know it," Ellie smiled back. "Well, we've come about as far from Mountain Home as you can get: McLean, Virginia! Mark's been with the State Department for years now. We'd be happy anywhere, honestly, as long as we're together. We help each other survive the full catastrophe." Owen felt jealous, and his thoughts drifted back to Claire once again. Ellie caught him, "So, what about you?"

"No," he said in a low tone.

Ellie didn't press but told him, "I once thought I could be that person for Alan. I wish Alan had found someone like I found Mark." Ellie started to descend the paddock steps. Owen felt the wind knocked out of him.

"I'm ready," Ellie said before Owen opened the door to the cage. She kept her distance from the bars separating them from the paddock floor. Blue walked over and chittered toward Owen. Ellie was quiet but less spooked by the vocalization than she had been on the catwalks. Blue watched her as she adjusted her hair. Ellie removed her ponytail holder, letting her hair fall below her shoulders, and then put it back up in a bun. Blue chittered toward Owen again then darted to the back of the paddock. Owen took a sharp intake of breath, and Ellie noticed the change to his countenance.

"What is it?" she asked. Owen watched as Blue returned to them, carrying a large and dusty bundle in her mouth. Blue dropped the bundle on the paddock floor opposite Ellie. Owen was mortified but had to reward Blue for doing as she was trained. He said, "Good girl," and tossed her a rodent. Ellie squatted to examine the bundle as best she could from the other side of the bars. She looked up at Owen, "Is this dried lavender?" He groaned, "Yes."

"You trained her to do that?"

"Yes."

"That's amazing." Ellie was tickled but then noticed Owen's embarrassment. She sighed, "Not for me, were they?"

"No." Owen couldn't look at her. He suddenly wanted Ellie gone. He wanted to retreat back to his bungalow.

Ellie smiled with understanding, "I hope the person those were intended for gets to see that one day. It's the kind of sweet gesture that helps make the full catastrophe worthwhile."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for making it to the end of this chapter. What did you think about Ellie's appearance? I made good on my promise to feature all of the "big three." Alan is the ever-present ghost ;-) This chapter's title is a quote by John Hammond in the ice cream/flea circus scene in _Jurassic Park_ and my clue about Ellie's cameo.


	15. Epilogue - Alpha & Omega

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Subtitle/Alternate Title: Call & Answer

Owen's mind was swirling as he watched Claire get back into her car. Even with that severe haircut, she was still spellbinding to him. He had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed giving her a hard time. Owen wanted to keep their banter light, but he couldn't conceal his emotion after she used the word "attraction." He was testing himself when he brought up their never having a second date. He failed that test, in his mind, because he couldn't maintain eye contact with Claire when he did so. It still hurt, all these months later, that she just threw him away. Now, she was calling him "Mr. Grady" and refused to say why. Owen walked into his bungalow and changed back into the shirt he was wearing earlier that day at the paddock. His eyes drifted to the drawer where he kept her photograph. He was always reluctant to admit that he allowed Claire to throw him away. He never reached out to her, even when he clung to her. Putting away the photograph broke that outward tie, but it didn't change how he felt inside. Owen was still wearing a hair shirt woven from her red hair.

Claire sat in her car waiting for Owen. She was pleased with herself for staying strong in his presence. When Henry's recommendation to speak with Owen about Indominus was echoed by Simon, she wasn't sure how she would handle being near him again. Claire called him "Mr. Grady" to put some distance between them. She was disappointed by how much he got under her skin when he brought up their never having a second date. Claire stopped herself from saying anything substantive or revelatory about her feelings. When she stood on the bottom of his steps and Owen approached her, she could tell that he wanted her. She felt smug in the moment and took pleasure in exaggerating his stench. Now, watching him walk toward her car, she was suddenly reminded of the last time they were in it together. Claire had been more open with him in those few minutes than she had been at any other point in their relationship. She hated admitting to herself that she hoped the promise they made to each other that night was still in effect. She also worried that he was still her weakness.

Owen stayed quiet for the first minute of their drive to Paddock 11. He was afraid he would reveal too much to her. He ultimately decided that he couldn't miss the chance to finally talk to her about what happened.

"You're still a terrible liar," Owen proclaimed.

Claire scoffed, "What did I lie about?"

"Never wanting a second date." She started to breathe more heavily. He could tell she was struggling to respond, and he reveled in this.

"Well," she stammered angrily, "what was that about 'mutual respect'? That's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black."

"How?" he spat back. "Because I wore board shorts? That is petty and certainly not a reason to erase me from your life."

"There were other things!"

"Like what? Lay it on me." Owen seemed to have caught her. She took a long time to come up with an answer. This confirmed to him that she made a snap judgment that night and hadn't been able to justify her decision, even to herself, months after the fact.

Claire sounded genuinely hurt and no longer angry when she finally found her words, "You...you...never replaced my flowers." He breathed out and looked away from her. She would have to point that out.

Owen sighed, "I did...You just never got them."

"What?" she said with surprise.

"I had two bouquets for you that night."

"What?" Claire looked thoroughly confused, as if what he was saying couldn't possibly be true.

"You wouldn't get on my bike, so I never had a chance to give them to you." They made eye contact. She looked apologetic. Owen felt sick. He wondered, could it have been this simple? If he'd just found a way to give her the flowers, could they have stayed together? He hoped she was considering the same when she turned her eyes back to the road.

Claire was clearly floundering when she responded, "I...I just...you didn't...We could've taken my car."

"You're right," he admitted shamefully. "I didn't think that through." She bit her lip and drew long, deep breaths. If she hadn't been driving, Owen might've kissed her.

"What were they?" she asked ruefully.

"At my bungalow, there was a vase of purple dendrobium orchids." Claire took a sharp intake of breath, and Owen noticed that her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"That's my favorite flower," she said quietly. "I never told you. How did you know?"

"There's a picture in your apartment, a group shot, and you have one in your hair."

Claire smiled wistfully, "That was from a grad school semi-formal. It was my favorite picture of myself...until the _Time_ shoot."

"The dress in that semi-formal picture was a very similar color to the satin dress you wore on our date," Owen sighed. "I thought it was a sign. I would've put another one in your hair."

"Cerulean blue," she whispered. "It's my favorite color." Owen's heart was pounding. He could tell that she wanted to say more but kept stopping herself. She cleared her throat, "And the other...bouquet?"

He grinned with delight, "Take me to the raptor paddock after we finish, and I'll show you."

"I...can't. Simon is on the island today."

"Fuck him."

"He's my boss."

"I've heard you say that before. Hoskins is here today, too, and I don't arrange my schedule around him."

"You don't care what he thinks."

"I don't, but I never told you that."

"Must be something Billy told me about you then." Owen thought about what she said that night, about knowing more about him from the news and other people. It wasn't an unfair criticism. He suddenly recalled what Ellie Sattler said about Alan Grant. It didn't take Ellie long to recognize the similarities between Alan and himself. She got closer to the truth than Owen wanted to admit.

He asked hesitantly, "Did I take you for granted?"

Claire's response was swift, "At times."

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to considering other people's needs."

"I do that for a living."

"You might not be so good at that in your personal life." She laughed, "Personal life? What's that? Do you know?" They made eye contact again and smiled at each other. Owen's heart ached for her. He reached out to touch her hand on the steering wheel.

"No, don't touch me," Claire said with fear - not anger - in her voice. "I will lose control."

"That wouldn't be a bad thing." Owen wanted her badly. He knew there was nowhere private at the raptor paddock. He considered her backseat for a moment and fondly remembered considering the same thing in the commissary parking lot.

Claire sighed and broke his reverie, "I can't today...I-"

Owen rolled his eyes and cut her off, "Simon, right?"

"No, actually, my nephews are visiting." Owen was stunned. This was not another lame excuse on her part.

He softened and said, "I didn't know you had nephews."

"Like you've pointed out, I'm not an 'open book.'"

"I know enough, Claire, and so do you." She looked nervous and confused, as if he had blown her mind. Owen hoped he was making it clear that he wanted to get back together.

As if reading his mind, she asked in her small voice, "Even after I erased you?"

He smiled, "I know now that you tried, but you failed. Just like I never got rid of your photograph." She was practically trembling, and he could tell from her facial muscle movements that she was fighting getting tearful.

Claire swallowed and said, "You didn't?"

"I'd miss that smile too much." She turned her head toward him quickly and flashed him that very smile.

She was breathing heavily when she told him, "I missed you looking at me like you are now." Owen feared that he was now close to losing control.

"Take me to the raptor paddock when we finish here, please?" he asked with desperation. "I should've insisted that night. I'm insisting now."

"Okay." Claire breathed slowly out and appeared to be composing herself. Owen leaned back in his seat and looked out the window. They had arrived at Paddock 11. It was monstrous already and being built larger. He understood why Barry was worried about Genevieve. He looked at Claire and thought it would be nice to worry about her - if she'd let him. She expended so much energy on looking tough and controlled. In the meantime, Owen was happy just having an opportunity to be playful with her again.

"We never discussed my consultation fee for this," he said.

"Shit!" Claire exclaimed. "We never discussed the dinosaur at all." She opened her door, and Owen could tell that she was back in business mode. He would be serious for her now and looked forward to finally getting the lavender to the right person.

* * *

"Keep in mind the advantage of remaining aware of death, of hugging its shadow to you. Such awareness can integrate the darkness with your spark of life and enhance your life while you still have it. The way to value life, the way to feel compassion for others, the way to love anything with greatest depth is to be aware that these experiences are destined to be lost." ~Irvin Yalom, _Staring at the Sun_

* * *

It was hard to focus in the din of the mainland hangar. Claire couldn't escape feeling guilty for some of this suffering, but she didn't want to think about that right now. She wanted to focus on being alive and having saved lives. Scott was holding tightly to Gray while Karen hugged Zach. Claire looked up to find Owen. He wasn't far from where he'd left the three of them. He wanted to help the injured, and she told him that she'd be able to handle Zach and Gray by herself. Owen hesitated to leave her and had reminded her, “It’s never easy for me to walk away from you." When their eyes met across the crowd now, his face lightened. Claire felt herself melting inside. She never wanted to lose him again. She was startled by Karen taking her hand and asking, "Do you see him?"

"Yes," Claire answered, blushing. Her gaze remained fixed on Owen as she said, "You were right about him. He's a good man. He risked his life for all three of us." She looked quickly at Zach and Gray then back to her sister.

Karen squeezed her hand, "Go to him."

Claire gripped the blanket tightly around herself while she walked toward Owen. She would've preferred him to the blanket. Their kiss during the pteranodon attack was hurried but felt to her like coming home. She didn't want to assume too much and also worried about falling back into old habits and pushing him away. Claire simply asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Probably stick together," he said with a cheeky smile, "for survival." They started to walk out of the hangar to escape the noise and distractions. She looked over at him, and he was looking at her. Claire stopped short of walking out into the sunlight and started to tremble. She was nervous about her future. As if reading her mind, Owen asked with concern, "Are you scared?" Claire smiled and stopped trembling.

She took a deep breath and said, "Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this...hangar and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you."

He smirked and looked at her quizzically, "What's that from?"

" _Dirty Dancing_ ," she admitted somewhat sheepishly. "I have it memorized. It’s my favorite."

He laughed, "I guess I just picked the wrong '80s movie." Owen turned her toward him and put his hands on the blanket over her shoulders. He teased, "Have you used that line before?"

"It's never been right for anyone until you." Claire started to cry. "I mean it. No one's ever made me feel the way you do. I got so wrapped up in bullshit, I lost sight of that. I tried to make it complicated when it was simple. From that first time, in the closet, I always felt cherished by you." Owen stroked her cheek. She closed her eyes and stopped crying. When she reopened them, she looked at him with fiery intensity. Claire threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. She had previously pushed out of her mind how great it was to have his arms wrapped around her, his body pressed against hers, and his tongue massaging her own. She would not make that mistake again. There were many mistakes - on both of their accounts - that were the actual things she needed to push out of her mind. Right now, they needed to focus on what really mattered, moment to moment. Their kiss deepened with every breath.

* * *

So if you call, I will answer; And if you fall, I'll pick you up; And if you court this disaster, I'll point you home.

But I'm warning you, don't ever do; Those crazy, messed-up things that you do; If you ever do, I promise you, I'll be the first to crucify you; Now it's time to prove that you've come back here to rebuild; Rebuild, rebuild, rebuild...

~Barenaked Ladies, "Call and Answer"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment. The feedback thus far has meant a lot to me.
> 
> **Acknowledgments** : In addition to the overt references and quotes, I must give credit to Robert Burns ( _To a Mouse_ ), Ben Stiller ( _Zoolander_ /"Matilda Jeffries"), Nelly Furtado ("All Good Things"), Jon Kabat-Zinn ( _Full Catastrophe Living_ ), and Barenaked Ladies ("What a Good Boy").


End file.
